OK, so this blog is closed... but I couldn't resist the temptation to scribble down some predictions about international relations in the year ahead. First, a debrief on 2008. Last year's predictions were - predictably - mixed. I was right...
Sorry Brazil, in this analysis the 'big four' are the contender states, Eurasian military-economic powers Russia, India and China plus the rival-cum-ally, the US. Interesting that coinciding with a Condi trip to Beijing comes a possible US military deal with...
Here's the thing, right? There are two clear underlying causes to all the major problems on earth. The first is overpopulation. Overpopulation means that there are too many people chasing after too many resources - energy, water, land etc. which...
It's looking increasingly like we have just one week to go before the big events of 2008 really begin. Many of the papers are giving 17 February as the date for Kosovo to declare independence, and it already appears that...
Next Thursday, 7 February, sees the beginning of the Chinese Year of the Rat, the first in the Chinese Zodiac cycle. No, this isn't some cod astrological analysis: but it does put a little bit of mystical context in. Just...
Well, it's that time again - as the year 2007 draws to a close, we look to the future. And one thing is for sure: the primary foci of this weblog, Pakistan and China, were hardly out of the news...
When I started this blog two years ago, crude was priced at $60 per barrel. Now it's $96. The dollar was $1.21 to the Euro then: now it's $1.44. So go the figures. Something is up. There is a big...
A lengthy but useful summary of everything that's important in the world right now pertaining to the linkages between geopolitics and energy. Must look out for this Dilip Hiro guy's book. We can now probably add to this list of...
In July 2007, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation agreed on the foundation of an 'energy club'. In August it will hold its annual summit, and this author considers whether that means another step towards an Asian NATO. PINR - S.C.O. Summit...
Not much need to comment on this, as Putin consolidates his control over the pipeline infrastructure. BBC NEWS | Business | Russian pipeline firms to merge Transneft, which carries 93% of Russian oil and supplies much of Europe, is to...
International Relations is an immensely complex subject, and in order to stay focus everyone has pare away a few factors now and again. The southern hemisphere is completely off my radar, and I am also frequently guilty of ignoring the...
The last few weeks - which have seen China tighten its grip over Africa and Asia, and the Republicans lose their grip in the Capitol and rethink their whole strategy - has generated a slew of articles over at Asia...
"We are used to thinking in terms of conventional warfare between nations, but energy is becoming a weapon of choice for those who possess it." Such is the assesment of Senator Richard Lugar, and it is not a bad one...
Oxford Professor and all-round commentator Timothy Garton-Ash takes a timely look at the state of the world in mid-2006. His analysis is bleak. Of course, no writer on current affairs has the benefit of hindsight and it'll be a long...
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