Using the concept of the 'Great Game' that Rudyard Kipling
immortalized in his novel Kim, Kleveman argues that
now a new 'Great Game' rages in the region, a modern
variant of the nineteenth century clash of imperial
ambitions of Great Britain and Tsarist Russia. Only
this time the stakes are raised.
Desperate to wean its dependence on the
powerful OPEC cartel, the United States is pitted in
this struggle against Russia, China, and Iran, all competing
to dominate the Caspian region, its resources and pipeline
routes. Complicating the playing field are transnational
energy corporations with their own agendas and the brash
new, Wild West-style entrepreneurs who have taken control
after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Traveling thousands
of miles, from the Caucasus peaks across the Central
Asian plains down to the Afghan Hindu Kush, Kleveman
met with the principal Great Game actors between Kabul
and Moscow: oil barons, generals, diplomats, and warlords.
Based on extensive research, The New Great
Game is a gripping narrative, and a savvy and incisive
analysis of the power struggle for the world's remaining
energy resources. |
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