Via Stratfor (subscription required), a report that Iran and Iraq have reached agreement on constructing an oil pipeline from the southern Iraqi city of Basra to Iran’s southwestern city of Abadan. As the article notes: “…Considering the short distance — some 30 miles — and the flat terrain between Basra and Abadan, this pipeline can […]
Read more »Via Foreign Affairs Policy Association, a report of a recent agreement for a German energy firm to explore & develop gas resources in Turkmenistan’s part of the Caspian Sea. As the article notes: “…After the recent unexplained explosion of a gas pipeline between Russia and Turkmenistan, each side has been accusing the other of blowing […]
Read more »Via The Atlantic, an interesting look at the future of Gwadar, a potential deepwater port at the extreme southwestern tip of Pakistan close to the border with Iran. As the article notes, it is much more a part of the Middle East than of the Indian subcontinent, equipped with a highway, and oil and natural-gas […]
Read more »Via Energy Daily, an interesting look at the Caspian region which – since 1991 – has emerged as the world’s leading untapped energy source over which numerous nations/interests have been vying. However, as noted in the article below, the biggest roadblock to the full development of these hydrocarbon resources remains the fact that 18 years […]
Read more »Via The Center for Research on Globalization, interesting analysis of Turkey’s role & increased significance in the years ahead: “…If Ankara decides to collaborate more closely with Russia, Georgia’s position is precarious and Azerbaijan’s natural gas pipeline route to Europe, the so-called Nabucco Pipeline, is blocked. If it cooperates with the United States and manages to […]
Read more »Via The Asia Times, an interesting summary of China’s keen interest in Central Asia’s energy resources and its efforts to take advantage of the global downturn to lock in such. As the article notes: “…may lead to a marked shift of fortune in the Great Game for control of Caspian energy reserves. On the surface, […]
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