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| Petrostate: Putin, Power, and the New Russia | 
 enlarge | Author: Marshall I. Goldman
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $27.95
Buy New: $15.29
You Save: $12.66 (45%)
New (40) Used (13) from $15.29
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 27588
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.4 x 1
ISBN: 0195340736
Dewey Decimal Number: 327.47
EAN: 9780195340730
ASIN: 0195340736
Publication Date: May 27, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-7 of 7 | | « PREV | | |
 Preliminaries June 17, 2008
1 out of 6 found this review helpful
Goldman did a lecture for the Carnegie Council for Ethics in which he gives a summary of his book - available on Podcast and at the website ([...]). Highly recommended.
The Future of our Foreign Policy August 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is an important read for anyone with an interest in foreign policy and the role that energy is playing in it.
I have read the book and listened to Marshall Goldman speak, and read the other reviews, and am writing this because I think the other reviewers may be missing an important point. It is not so much about the details of the book, and I am sure there are some factual errors. The story is about Putin and about Energy, and how Putin has turned Russia from a bankrupt nation to an energy and economic. powerhouse. Goldman's main message is that we should understand how Russia is successfully using energy as a tool of foreign policy. For example, much of Europe, particularly Germany and Eastern Europe, is becoming dependent on Russia for natural gas, a principle source of their energy supply. Russia is building Nord Stream, a pipeline under the Baltic to deliver natural gas directly to Germany. Russia has a pipeline under the Black Sea to deliver natural gas through Turkey up to Hungary. Russia recently reduced the supply of oil to the Czech Republic, a clear suggestion that Russia is unhappy with U.S - Czech Missile Defense Agreement. Russia is attempting, with some success, to create a pipeline monopoly for delivering natural gas to Europe. Goldman shows how Gazprom is squeezing the supporters of the non-Russian NABUCCO Pipeline from Azerbaijan through Georgia to Turkey and thence to Europe, and how Russia, through Gazprom, particularly is creating partnerships with other gas producers, such as Algeria, to be their distribution arm, closing out possible competitors. Goldman describes the concept of having Russian company officers being simultaneously key members of the government, therefore assuring that the companies are supporting government objectives and policies. Gazprom is a particularly good example.
Of course, all of this Russian power comes from a simple fact: the price of oil and natural gas has jumped since 1998, when Russia was almost bankrupt. Putin is the beneficiary even if not the cause of this phenomenon.
One might get dramatic and say that Russia has invaded Europe, with natural gas pipelines rather than tanks. Perhaps we should take note.
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