After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Russia inherited the infrastructure that Central Asian states needed to transport energy out of the region creating excessive dependence on the Russian pipeline network and energy market. In the 1990s, the Central Asian states continued to barter energy with each other and Russia, in almost the same way as they did in the unified Soviet energy system. However, regional energy exporters� dissatisfaction with the conditions of the energy trade dictated by Russia and the willingness of other external customers to invest in the construction of alternative pipeline networks transformed the relationships among state actors within the Central Asian energy system (CAES). The paper aims to analyze the impact energy export diversification policies have on the governments� ability to ensure energy security in their respective countries.