Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Russian brinkmanship could imperil the flow of oil ...& trouble 'brewing in Crimea'..

In BusinessWeek, here, via War&Piece. And here a Guardian piece on "Trouble Brewing In Crimea" (Tensions have risen since the war in Georgia and Kiev's plans to join Nato).
"...Even before the Georgia mini-war, Russia was playing for keeps in the region. Starting in the 1990s, Russia often got its way by manipulating its oil and natural gas pipelines, which, despite the West's efforts, still dominate Caspian output. Russian pipelines ship more than 85% of the 6.3 million barrels of oil exported daily from the former Soviet Union. In its struggles with the republics, Russia has turned its spigots off and on repeatedly. In 1993, for instance, Moscow shut off Turkmenistan's gas exports to the West, forcing the Turkmen to sell at a lower price to Ukraine..."

Pro-Moscow supporters welcome the Russian missile cruiser Moskva as it enters Sevastopol Bay on Ukraine's Crimea peninsula

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