Natural Resources

Strategic Resources: Why Siberia Could Be Russia’s Secret Economic Weapon

June 18, 2013

Source: CNBC Once infamous as a place of exile and no-return during the Tsarist and then Stalinist eras, Siberia is being touted as a beacon of light by the Russian government as it looks east, rather than west, for growth potential. Mineral and metal-rich Siberia is already home to oil, diamonds, gas and coal producers and [...]

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China and Central Asia: A Significant New Energy Nexus

June 17, 2013

Source: European Financial Review By Fakhmiddin Fazilov & Xiangming Chen China now accounts for almost 20 percent of the world’s energy consumption and its demand is still growing at high speed. In order to keep up with the expanding industry China turns to Central Asia with ambitious gas line projects and considers countries such as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and [...]

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The war on Africa: U.S. imperialism and the world economic crisis

June 14, 2013

Source: Pambazuka Mineral resources and the quest for strategic advantage guide western foreign policy on the continent Capitalism has failed to provide adequate housing, jobs, medical, educational and other services to many people in the West. As well, China’s global influence is rising. These are some of the reasons behind the US quest for mineral [...]

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Retired US Generals and Politicians Reaping Oil Profits from Iraq’s Kurdistan

June 10, 2013

Source: Press TV A former Kurdish official claims that a group of retired American generals negotiated Iraqi Kurdistan’s oil contracts with the knowledge of Kurdistan’s US representative. Heyrsh Abdulrahman – who has made the statement – served as deputy of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s US representative between 2004 and 2009. In an interview with the [...]

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China details Indian Ocean strategy and interests

June 8, 2013

Source: Hindu Blue book’ laments Beijing has trailed behind New Delhi and Washington in securing its interests China has, for the first time, attempted to spell out its strategy — and plans — to secure its interests in the Indian Ocean in its first “blue book” on the region, released here on Saturday. The blue [...]

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Reviving the Maghreb Union

June 6, 2013

Source: Majalla In the wake of the Tunisian revolution Maghreb integration and cooperation is once again on the table. “We will work to restore unity with our brothers in Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Mauritania,” declared Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki during a tour of the North African countries in February 2012. Mohammed VI of Morocco spoke [...]

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Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Energy Club | Eurasian Union: Russia and Pakistan New Equation

June 5, 2013

Source: IDSA The conclusion of the 8th meeting of Russia-Pakistan Consultative Group on Strategic Stability, held in Islamabad in April 20131, marks the culmination of a series of high profile engagements between the two countries. In the last one and a half years alone, the two sides have witnessed a flurry of high profile bilateral [...]

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China’s Stealth Wars

June 5, 2013

Source: Project Syndicate China is subverting the status quo in the South and East China Seas, on its border with India, and even concerning international riparian flows – all without firing a single shot. Just as it grabbed land across the Himalayas in the 1950’s by launching furtive encroachments, China is waging stealth wars against its Asian [...]

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The Philippines and Spratly Islands: A Losing Battle

June 4, 2013

Source: Scientific American What has more than 750 reefs and islands, has been claimed by 5 different countries, and has been the center of political disputes since the 1900s? Answer: the Spratly Islands, located off the coast of the Philippines and Malaysia. This region has been claimed by both of these nations as well as [...]

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Energy Security or Islamist Militants: Sahel Attacks Prompt Fears in France Over Energy Supply

June 4, 2013

Source: VOA Security is being stepped up at Western installations across Africa’s Sahel region following twin attacks in Niger late last month by Islamist militants. Fears are growing over the extent of the militants’ reach in a region with close links to Europe. The stakes are especially great for France, which is highly dependent on [...]

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NATO expansion in Nordics would force Russian response -Medvedev

June 4, 2013

Source: UK Reuters Any expansion of NATO to include Sweden and Finland would upset the balance of power and force Russia to respond, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday, underlining Moscow’s nerves over moves to bring the Western alliance closer to its border. Although Sweden and Finland are not actively seeking membership, both nations [...]

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China and India Vie for Myanmar’s Strategic Resources

June 3, 2013

Source: Asia Briefing The competitive relationship between China and India has become a defining feature of the strategic environment across emerging Asia. While both nations are currently not in direct conflict, there are several areas that hold strategic interest which could potentially act as the stage for a clash between the two nations. Their current [...]

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Water Wars:Egypt Politicians advise attacking Ethiopia

June 3, 2013

Source: Macon/AP Politicians meeting with Egypt’s president have proposed hostile acts against Ethiopia, including backing rebels and carrying out sabotage, to stop it from building a massive dam over the Nile River. Some of the politicians attending Monday’s meeting with President Mohammed Morsi appeared unaware it was being carried live on TV. Morsi did not [...]

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Azerbaijan’s strategy aimed at liberation of all occupied territories:A path to European energy security

June 3, 2013

Source: Azernews Despite ancient traditions of the statehood, Azerbaijan is a young country, and in the past two decades we have managed to transform the country into a modern state, head of Political Analysis and Information Supply Department of the Administration of the President of Azerbaijan Elnur Aslanov said at Baku Futures Forum on June [...]

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U.S., NATO allies to consider Libya military training mission

June 3, 2013

Source: WP U.S. officials will discuss this week with NATO allies the possibility of establishing a military training mission for Libya’s fledgling security forces, defense officials said Monday, as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived in Brussels for a meeting of defense chiefs. Libya has struggled to build its military and police forces since a band of rebels [...]

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Japan Prints Money to Buy Foreign Assets

June 1, 2013

Source: LTN Japan, the world’s 3rd largest economy that is trapped by its stagnant economy, is venturing into new overseas market to boost its investments so as to revitalize the sluggish economy and seek more international influence. The East Asian country, now, holds a large international conference from this Saturday to Monday participated by African leaders [...]

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Ethiopia builds giant dam on Nile, sparking Egypt fear

May 31, 2013

Source: Japan Times/AP Ethiopia’s construction of Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam on the world’s longest river threatens to affect flows of water to Nile-dependent, water-starved Egypt, where there is growing outrage and fear. Egypt in the past has threatened to go to war over its “historic rights” to Nile River water, but diplomats from both countries [...]

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China biggest rival as Japan seeks to tap African resources

May 29, 2013

Source: JT When the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami led to three core meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, an atomic calamity that effectively put the nation’s remaining 50 reactors out of action, Japan was suddenly faced with an energy crisis unseen since the oil shocks of the early 1970s. Dependent [...]

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The U.S. in Central Asia: Still an important balancer?

May 28, 2013

Source: Turkish Weekly For more than a decade after the 9/11 attacks, the war in Afghanistan has been the point of reference for U.S. policy toward Central Asia. American military bases in the region and the region’s role in facilitating the supply chain for U.S. and NATO troops were the chief concerns of U.S. policy [...]

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China CNPC Nearing Completion of Key Burma Oil Storage Facility

May 28, 2013

Source: irrawaddy Top state energy group China National Petroleum Company has completed six oil storage tanks on an island off western Burma from which two pipelines will carry fuel to China, and will soon finish six more, an industry official said on Tuesday. The crucial strategic link will allow China to bypass the Malacca Strait, one [...]

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Russian gas pipeline could doom Europe’s Nabucco plan

May 28, 2013

Source: Reuters Europe’s grand plan for a gas pipeline from the Caspian Sea that would make its eastern states less reliant on Russia may have been fatally undermined by Russia’s even bigger project. As Azerbaijan nears a decision on which pipeline to choose for its future exports, the Nabucco plan that was long the European Union favourite [...]

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Full Spectrum Dominance: The entire globe is a battlefield for Pentagon

May 24, 2013

Source: RT Forget it; the Global War on Terror (GWOT) is not becoming more “democratic” – or even transparent. US President Barack Obama now pledges to transfer the responsibility of the shadow ‘Drone Wars’ from the CIA to the Pentagon – so the US Congress is able to monitor it. Until virtually yesterday the Obama administration did [...]

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U.S. keen to see Trans-Caspian gas pipeline to be implemented

May 24, 2013

Source: Trend The U.S. would be happy to see the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline to be implemented, U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Richard Morningstar told journalists on Friday. However, he said that ultimately it has to be an agreement between the EU, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Morningstar noted that it is up to Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to make [...]

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A bonanza under Mediterranean waters. Another source of conflict?

May 23, 2013

Source: Al Arabiya Jubilant statements by Israeli politicians followed by triumphant newspaper headlines welcomed the first batch of natural gas extracted from the Tamar gas field in the Mediterranean basin last month. The gas field is located in Israel’s exclusive economic zone, around 50 miles west of Haifa. It took four years to construct an [...]

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NATO, US ‘works closely’ with Azerbaijan on energy security issues

May 23, 2013

Source: AzerNews The NATO, as well as the U.S. works and will work closely with Azerbaijan on the issues of energy security and infrastructure protection, U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar told journalists in Baku on May 23. “Azerbaijan understands this issue, and we are looking forward to working with it,” Morningstar. Morningstar stressed that [...]

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China, Tajikistan establish strategic partnership: mineral, and oil and gas resources

May 20, 2013

Source: xinhua China and Tajikistan established a strategic partnership on Monday, pledging to boost bilateral cooperation. The announcement was made during talks held between President Xi Jinping and his visiting Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmon, who is visiting China from May 19 to 20. China and Tajikistan share the need to consolidate cooperation, safeguard common interests and [...]

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Expert: Withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan may become pretext for U.S. to establish bases in Caspian region

May 18, 2013

Source: Trends.AZ Withdrawal of coalition forces from Afghanistan could become the pretext for the Americans to establish long-term bases in the Caspian region, Director General of the Caspian Cooperation Institute, Sergei Mikheev believes. “Per se, the withdrawal of troops could become the pretext for the Americans create long-term bases, and for consolidation in the region [...]

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After Fighting Over Mountains, India and China Lock Horns in the Indian Ocean

May 17, 2013

Editor’s Note: China and India strategic positioning in eastern Ladakh is over mineral resources. The next strategic battle for raw materials and hydrocarbons whether it be diplomacy or conflict will be West/ East Africa, Horn of Africa, Bay of Bengal, south china sea. The powers[Government-Corporations] at play who control the Indo-Pacific sea lines of communication and chokepoints through [...]

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How Qatar seized control of the Syrian revolution

May 17, 2013

Source: FT Related : Qatar bankrolls Syrian revolt with cash and arms A short drive from the rising skyscrapers of Doha’s West Bay, emblems of the once-sleepy Qatari capital’s frenetic growth, the three-starred flag of the Syrian revolution can be seen fluttering over a modern villa guarded by police cars. The villa is the new [...]

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