Jumpin’ Jack Verdi, It’s a Gas, Gas, Gas

Back before email, a world traveler who wanted to keep in touch and couldn’t just pop into the nearest Internet cafĂ©, might drop you a series of postcards from one exotic locale after another. Pepe Escobar, that edgy, peripatetic globe-trotting reporter for one of my favorite on-line publications, Asia Times, has been doing just that … Continue reading “Jumpin’ Jack Verdi, It’s a Gas, Gas, Gas”

Blood and Oil in Central Asia

In the past month, two seemingly unrelated events have turned Central Asia into a potential flashpoint: an aggressively expanding North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and a nascent strategic alliance between Russia and China. At stake is nothing less than who holds the future high ground in the competition for the world’s energy resources. Increasing Competition … Continue reading “Blood and Oil in Central Asia”