The New Great Game: Blood and Oil in Central Asia Book

The Caspian Sea contains the world's largest amount of untapped oil and gas resources. It is estimated that there might be as much as 100 billion barrels of crude oil in the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan alone. Using the concept of the "Great Game" that Rudyard Kipling immortalized in his novel Kim, Lutz Kleveman has discovered a New Great Game raging in the region, a modern variant of the 19th century clash of imperial ambitions of Great Britain and czarist Russia. Only this time the stakes are higher. Desperate to wean itself from dependence on the powerful OPEC cartel, the United States is now pitted in a struggle against Russia and China, as all three nations compete for dominance in the Caspian region and access to its resources and pipeline routes. Complicating the playing field are transnational energy corporations with their own agendas and brash new entrepreneurs who have taken control after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Based on extensive research and travel in the regions, The New Great Game is a gripping narrative and a savvy analysis of the power struggle for the world's remaining energy resources.Read More