Posted by Matt in July 24th, 2008 |
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Published in
Iran,
30 Million,
Afghanistan Iraq,
Bandar Abbas,
Caucasus,
Euphrates Basin,
Frontiers,
geopolitics,
George Friedman,
Heartland,
Iranian Side,
Iraqi Side,
Kurdish Regions,
Mountain Fortress,
Northwestern Border,
Populous Country,
Square Kilometers,
Tigris Euphrates,
Western Border,
Western Europe,
Zagros
By George Friedman
To understand Iran, you must begin by understanding how large it is. Iran is the 17th largest country in world. It measures 1,684,000 square kilometers. That means that its territory is larger than the combined territories of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Portugal - Western Europe. Iran is the 16th most [...]
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Posted by Matt in June 17th, 2008 |
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Published in
Asia,
Military,
Russia,
Bilateral Agreement,
Central Asia,
Conclusion,
Energy Resources,
geopolitics,
Journalist,
Kant,
Military Affairs,
Military Cooperation,
Military Presence,
Political Experts,
Ratification,
Russia Moscow,
Seriousness,
tajikistan,
Vladimir
Military and political experts both in Russia and Central Asia say the timing of Russia’s ratification of the bilateral agreement with Tajikistan and its plans to reinforce the Kant air base are not coincidental, and show Moscow’s seriousness about fortifying its influence in Central Asia.
Vladimir Mukhin, a Moscow-based journalist and expert on military affairs, says [...]
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Posted by Matt in June 9th, 2008 |
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Published in
Asia,
Central Asia,
Egypt,
Gaza,
geopolitics,
Global Power,
Iran,
Israel,
Lebanon,
Mediation,
Middle East,
Political Stalemate,
Power Balance,
SCO,
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation,
Syria,
Truce,
Turkey
In itself, Iran’s recent application for membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is probably little more than diplomatic posturing. But coupled with the end of Lebanon’s political stalemate, Turkey’s mediation between Israel and Syria, and Egypt’s attempts to broker a truce in Gaza, it can be seen as part of a new dynamic that [...]
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Posted by Matt in May 27th, 2008 |
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Published in
Oil,
1980s,
2000s,
Anticipation,
Assumption,
Commodities,
Commodity Prices,
Disruptions,
Food Exports,
Food Shortages,
geopolitics,
George Friedman,
Global Impact,
Grains,
inflation,
Oil Prices,
Political Instability,
Primary Source,
Realities,
Source Of Energy,
Swiftness
By George Friedman
Oil prices have risen dramatically over the past year. When they passed $100 a barrel, they hit new heights, expressed in dollars adjusted for inflation. As they passed $120 a barrel, they clearly began to have global impact. Recently, we have seen startling rises in the price of food, particularly grains. Apart from [...]
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Posted by Matt in May 20th, 2008 |
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Published in
Israel,
Syria,
bribes,
Distinct Groups,
Ehud Olmert,
Fata,
Fatah,
Fatah And Hamas,
Gaza Strip,
geopolitics,
George Friedman,
George W Bush,
hezbollah,
Israel Palestine,
Israeli Prime Minister,
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert,
Israelis And Palestinians,
Lebanon,
Lebanon Syria,
Misnomer,
Palestine,
Palestinian National Authority,
President George W Bush,
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
By George Friedman
In geopolitics, we are frequently confronted with what appears to be a great deal of movement. Sometimes it is the current geopolitical reality breaking apart and a new one emerging. Sometimes it is simply meaningless motion in a fixed geopolitical reality — nothing more than the illusion of movement generated for political reasons [...]
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Posted by Matt in April 29th, 2008 |
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Published in
China,
Energy,
Oil,
Russia,
Alliances,
Amazon Asin,
Balance Of Power,
Chindia,
Communist Threat,
Danger World,
Energy Firm,
Eurasian Energy,
geopolitics,
Harbinger,
Industrial Societies,
International Cooperation,
International Landscape,
Juggernaut,
Michael Klare,
Sources Of Energy,
Takeover Bid,
Unocal,
Vital Natural Resources,
World Leaders
An indispensable account of how the world’s diminishing sources of energy are radically changing the international balance of power
Recently, an unprecedented Chinese attempt to acquire the major American energy firm Unocal was blocked by Congress amidst hysterical warnings of a Communist threat. But the political grandstanding missed a larger point: the takeover bid was a [...]
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Posted by Matt in April 15th, 2008 |
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China is an island. We do not mean it is surrounded by water; we mean China is surrounded by territory that is difficult to traverse. Therefore, China is hard to invade; given its size and population, it is even harder to occupy. This also makes it hard for the Chinese to invade others; not utterly [...]
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Posted by Matt in April 14th, 2008 |
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Surveying the energy-driven dynamic that is reconfiguring the international landscape, Michael Klare, the preeminent expert on resource geopolitics, forecasts a future of surprising new alliances and explosive danger. World leaders are now facing the stark recognition that all materials vital for the functioning of modern industrial societies (not just oil and natural gas but uranium, [...]
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Posted by Matt in March 27th, 2008 |
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ON THE face of it, these two books are about the same thing: the great trends in geopolitics as the economic power of Asia grows and as the world grimaces at America in the aftermath of the Iraq war. Yet they could hardly be more different. Parag Khanna’s is a long, complicated book on the [...]
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