Via Foreign Policy, a report on how Ukraine’s extraordinary riches in energy, minerals, and agriculture are a prize for the Kremlin: Russia’s motives for invading Ukraine vary from security fears to revisionist historical claims that a Ukrainian national identity does not exist. Energy security also looms large—in particular, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s determination to ensure the […]
Read more »Via Foreign Policy, an article on the impact of the Ukraine conflict on China’s ‘Iron Silk Road’ dreams: When he was welcomed to Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Feb. 6 for the Olympics, Polish President Andrzej Duda talked to Chinese President Xi Jinping about the long-standing vision of transforming Poland into China’s “gateway to Europe.” […]
Read more »Via Third Pole, an article on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway which – after more than two decades of negotiations – remains stalled on basic issues, with no clear way forward: The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway (CKU) has been under discussion for almost 25 years, but construction may never begin. Despite numerous high level meetings the three countries have failed to […]
Read more »Via the Asia Times, an article on how Ukraine was supposed to prevent Russia from deepening energy ties with Germany, but it didn’t work out that way: Once upon a time in Pipelineistan, tales of woe were the norm. Shattered dreams littered the chessboard – from IPI vs. TAPI in the AfPak realm to the neck-twisting Nabucco opera in Europe. […]
Read more »Via The Economist, an interesting look at the controversial strategy of a bargain-hunting international bond trader: WHEN the second world war broke out, Sir John Templeton, one of the founding fathers of Franklin Templeton, a big asset manager, made a shrewd bet. Convinced that the best time to invest was “the point of maximum pessimism”, […]
Read more »Via STRATFOR (subscription required), thoughtful analysis on the impact that Russia’s now operational Nord Stream natural gas pipeline will have upon ongoing negotiations between Ukraine and Russia over natural gas prices. As the article notes: Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Yuri Boyko stated Sept. 7 that Ukraine opposes a merger between its state energy […]
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