Britain risks US rift in war against Taliban
Pakistan facing bankruptcy
Pakistan blames US raids for hotel bombing
Index on Afghanistan and Pakistan

Der Spiegel: America Loses Its Dominant Economic Role
The Geopolitics of Energy: A Systems-Thinking Approach
After war, Russia's influence expands
Tension as EU monitors enter Georgia

Moscow strengthens presence in U.S.' backyard
US generals planning for resource wars
Pakistan's Zardari Tries to Keep His Distance from US

Melting Ice Brings Competition for Resources
Russia's ties with Venezuela worrying
Pakistan stares into the abyss

Kazakh oil: a war of nerves
Global warming threatens Asia-Pacific security, warns Australian PM
Fresh violence in Bolivia stokes civil war fears
Poison Fire interview (film about Nigerian oil)
Monbiot: protectionism makes you rich

Peak oil and the media
Can US natural gas production be ramped up?
Regulators probing oil supply data: report
Fighting on empty (Australian Defence Force)

Russia says will ensure oil flows to Europe
Punishing Russia could prove costly
Russia is fighting a new Cold War with banks and pipelines, not tanks and warplanes

Russia may cut off oil flow to the West
Georgia crisis could thwart EU project to bypass Russia for natural gas
EU concerned over Russia's possible plans for critical neighbors
Climate Wars: Gwynne Dyer interview (audio)

Arguments for the more extreme scenarios of global collapse in the wake of peak oil, climate change, and the like routinely insist that the current situation cannot be judged according to the standards of history. The aftermath of an actual example of collapse -- the fall of the Soviet empire -- suggests otherwise.

Russian behavior is driven to a large extent by the personal strategies and interests of a few individuals at the very top. There is no overarching geopolitical plan, but a lot of political infighting and short term asset-grabbing strategies. That may be even more worrying in itself than purposeful strategies to use the "energy weapon", but the motivations are different. It is true however that the global energy situation allows Russia to be a lot more assertive, or even brutal, on the international stage, and there's little that can be done about that ... [There is something that] Europe can actually do: it controls its own demand, and should focus its efforts on that.