The new Cold War is over energy resources

Russian energy giant Gazprom holds oil and gas reserves that rank only behind Saudi Arabia's and Iran's. Some believe that the Kremlin intends to use this massive energy resource to start a new Cold War. And its recent actions in Ukraine suggest they might be right...

For all intents and purposes, Gazprom is an arm of the Kremlin. Vladimir Putin and the members of the security and military services he helped bring to power the siloviki have succeeded in consolidating power and creating a state-run energy giant.

This consolidation has been their aim and purpose for some time now; it was the ultimate reasoning behind the jailing of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the systematic dismantling of YUKOS and the rough handling of the Russian oligarchs. It is not clear whether Putin controls the siloviki or whether they control him; what is clear is that all parties are on the same page when it comes to using energy as a geopolitical tool.

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