Many of us are still digesting the news of the conflict in the Caucasus. Ossetia and Abkhazia sound like names taken out of a James Bond script, but they are very real places, and we better take heed of the history and politics of this region - because the stakes could not be higher. Is this the sign that Russian bear is increasingly developing its position in the world as a lgreat power? Where is it re-asserting its sphere of influence? What will America's response be, especially since Georgia is an American ally and would not have begun its exercise without tacit approval from Washington. How will the CIS states respond? How pivotal is the BTC line to all this? Will this mean something for the Middle East? Here are a few articles already noticed about the conflict:
Analysis: energy pipeline that supplies West threatened by war Georgia conflict
Georgia has no significant oil or gas reserves of its own but it is a key transit point for oil from the Caspian and central Asia destined for Europe and the US.
Crucially, it is the only practical route from this increasingly important producer region that avoids both Russia and Iran.
The 1,770km (1,100 miles) Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which entered service only last year, pumps up to 1 million barrels of oil per day from Baku in Azerbaijan to Yumurtalik, Turkey, where it is loaded on to supertankers for delivery to Europe and the US. Around 249km of the route passes through Georgia, with parts running only 55km from South Ossetia.
The West, in particular America, has stoked the regional fire. At the NATO summit in Bucharest this year it pressed for Georgia and Ukraine's membership of the alliance. The move was blocked by the Europeans but NATO did give a commitment to offer the two countries membership later. That move was seen in Moscow as a challenge to its dominance in what it calls the "near abroad," the former Soviet republics.
Since then Russia has made clear in word and deed that it will do anything to prevent NATO's expansion on its western and southern flanks.
Georgian conflict puts U.S. in middle
"The conflict has potentially serious implications for Russian-U.S. relations, and Russian-Western relations," said Dmitri Trenin, deputy director of the Carnegie Center in Moscow. "The Russians are watching intently what the U.S. will do, as an indication of how the U.S. will pursue its relationship with Russia going forward."
U.S. voices its concerns as Georgia-Russia conflict spreads to Abhazia
Russian warplanes on Saturday bombed two villages in the Georgia-controlled part of the Kodori gorge, cutting deep into Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia, prompting the United States to voice its concerns over the "dangerous escalation" of the crisis. Georgia approved state of war for 15 days and called for an "immediate ceasefire."
Georgia says new air attacks hit near capital and key oil pipeline
Overnight, Russian warplanes bombed the Vaziani military base on the outskirts of the Georgian capital and near the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said. He also said two other military bases were hit, and that warplanes bombed the Black Sea port city of Poti, which has a sizable oil shipment facility.
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NotOverYet
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Could anyone explain why would Georgia knowingly attack and provoke Russia? Was it because Bush was so naive to order its puppet Sakashvilli to provoke Russia for nothing, or to scare Polish to accept and sign the agreement of American Anti-Missile systems' installation in their land or what? if even it was to scare-to-convince Polish, it clearly was visible to all that their way more important and strategic objective in the region (pipeline) will be threatened even to the point of cut forever. or it was all for measuring Russian Re-Action on such issues and provoke-to-convince NATO to give membership to Georgia and Ukraine? your answer will be considerable because the issue is vague to me. |
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Daniel
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Don´t forgett that Russia and Europe have sign an agrement to build a gas-pipline (Nord Stream) in Östersjö´n, (the nordic sea) between Russia and Germany that will suply energy to bigger part of Europe. With the war in Georgia it have shaked all the eastern europeen countries, especialy Ukraina and Poland (that will build an anti-missil defence under Nato). Russia now says that they will suply their navy in this sea with nuclear weapons and there is a crack inside Europe. 70% of the Russian gas/oil going on export. 40% of the russian taxmoney comes from this. With the gas-pipline to Europe with an agreement til 2035 it will secure allot of wellfare in Russia and in the same time tie up Russia into Europe. This is somethine that Washington don´t like ofcourse. Another reflection I had with the BTC pipline is the conflict i Lebanon. Israel want to build a pipline from Turkey to Israel that will suply them with oil, gas, electricity and water. But as Lebanon looks today with Hezbollah this still is only a dream for them. If Israel can change Lebanon and put a Nato-base in Trippoli that will watch the sea then Israel will import oil from the BTC-pipeline. |
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Zeital
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Three main parallels emerge when considering events since 1990 to the present. The attempt to dismantle Yugoslavia and ensuing wars in the Balkans draw a parallel with the two Balkan Wars in 1912 – 1913. The Berlin-Baghdad Railway and British attempts to obstruct secure German supplies to oil via Serbia, draws another parallel to the struggle over control of oil and natural gas pipelines not only in Mesopotamia (Iraq) but Persia, Caucasus, and Central Asia. Finally, and crucially the Great Game between Britain and Tsarist Russia from the 1800’s, and struggle for influence over China, Ottoman State, Persia, and Afghanistan, is replayed with the U.S.A as main campaigner against U.S.S.R and succeeding Russian Federation (paricular Soviet invasion of Afghanistan). The earlier struggles saw the Scramble for Africa, opening of Japan, and invasions of China. All were preludes to World War 1, and ending of U.S isolationism. Ironic how the U.S.A under leader like Abraham Lincoln wanted nothing to do with England, and viewed England as a threat, but historical forces resulted in these two very different nations collaborating. http://antwerpen.indymedia.org/print.php?id=13771 http://welcomebacktopottersville.blogspot.com/2008/08/one-possible-reason-why-dick-cheney.html http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9788 |
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