Epstein Secrets

for it, Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian civil war— particularly the White House's inept and improvisational response to it—has accidentally transformed Putin into a major power- broker for the post-Arab Spring Middle East. (This is no small feat considering that Sunni Muslim antipathy toward Russia is at

ing in Cairo as a direct result of EFTA00706389 its government's support for the still-popular military regime: "The positive stance of President Vladimir Putin towards the June revolution was behind the rise in his popularity." Portraits of Putin today hang alongside those of Sisi in Cairo. The Russian-Eg

litary regime: "The positive stance of President Vladimir Putin towards the June revolution was behind the

ion to the Iraq War, he is also cultivating a strong military and energy-based relationship with the post- Saddam government in Baghdad. Gazprom and Rosneft have moved in to capitalize on Iraq's increased oil and gas outputs. Last summer, contracts were signed for Russia to sell Iraq $4.2 billion worth

etween the overt ambitions of President Vladimir Putin's government, state-owned energy giant Gazprom, a

basin. Between the overt ambitions of President Vladimir Putin's government, state-owned energy giant Gazp

December 2, 2013 -- There is no question that Russia is making a play for natural gas in the Levant basin. Between the overt ambitions of President Vladimir Putin's government, state-owned energy giant Gazprom, and private companies, a concerted effort to establish a strategic commercial edge in the developing

derstanding on energy cooperation with Beirut in October, the reach of Russian companies remains unclear. Novatek, majority state-owned oil company Rosneft, and public Lukoil have been prequalified for the first license round, whose exploration blocs will be auctioned on January 10. However, they will

agreement was signed, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a joint

the gas agreement was signed, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a

S. hegemony into a more genuinely multipolar order. At the Asian security summit in Shanghai where the gas agreement was signed, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a joint statement calling on all nations to "give up the language of unilateral sanctions" and stop aiding

ited States and Europe over Ukraine helped Moscow and Beijing close their new gas deal. Over the last several years, Russia's national oil company, Rosneft, has given Chinese energy companies equity stakes in joint oil projects in Russia, EFTA_R1_00024227 EFTA01737597 an approach that has facilitate

the absence of any real attempt at economic reform. The basic model for running both the economy and the corporate sector which has become known as Putin's sistema, has not changed over recent years, in fact the state is becoming more dominant in the energy industry as a result of the expansion of Ro

in's sistema, has not changed over recent years, in fact the state is becoming more dominant in the energy industry as a result of the expansion of Rosneft, which is likely to continue in 2014. Finally we retain a bearish view on commodity prices which bodes ill for both the overall Russian economy a