Today's POLITICUS in the New York Times tries to fathom the extent to which NATO and the Western powers really trust Russia to cooperate in putting pressure on Iran, regarding its nuclear programme.  Whilst certain recent moves by the West suggest an element of confidence in the Kremlin's good nature, such as the Mistral deal, and, depending on who you read, the scrapping of the missile defence scheme, others imply a latent distrust.  How much trust do -- or should -- the Western allies accord Russia in attempting to get its cooperation to stop Iran's drive for nuclear weapons?And while good faith is the issue, what practical Western steps or accommodations are understood in NATO Brussels' home-office line that the allies owe Moscow recognition of its "security interests"? ...

Given all the news this week of Russia and Italy's South Stream deal with Turkey in exchange for a nuclear power plant, I thought I would repost an article written by Robert Amsterdam last fall in Energy Risk on Turkey's political pipelines.

FROM OCT. 2008, ENERGY RISK:

Turkey's political pipelines

Turkey's strategic position at the crossroads of East and West has put it at the centre of a geopolitical tug of war, with energy supply a key driver. Robert Amsterdam examines the energy policies being brought to bear in the region

Turkey's role in global affairs is defined by its geostrategic importance as the bridge between Europe and the Near East. Following Russia's invasion and occupation of Georgia in August, which caused considerable energy supply jitters, Turkey was once again thrust into the spotlight as the European

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The west should react ‘cautiously but positively’ to the Kremlin's offer to help Iceland deal with the financial crisis. Iceland denies that it could allow a Russian navy base on its land as collateral for the support. The MICEX has only seen a ‘minimal’ improvement in trading despite the government’s decision to increase its rescue package, including a $36 billion boost for banks. On the disastrous effects the crisis is having on the retail sector. Yulia Latynina says that the government’s response to the crisis is too extreme, and that it affected the elite - ‘by redistributing their business shares’ - but not the consumers. This article disagrees, citing the number of staff being laid off in various sectors. The opposition sees the country on the brink of a crisis. Rusal says it has ...