In an earlier post, we wrote about the geopolitical positioning going on in the Caspian region.



Infiltrating a little down from oil politics there is politics of oil& gas pipelines, which is increasingly intensifying every passing day.



At present, the U.S. government is trying its level best to have a separate pipeline that will exclude Russia. However, U.S. has its efforts on since a long time but no major breakthrough has been made so far in this direction.



The politics behind secluding Russia from energy grids is that it wants to end European dependence for gas on Russia. At present, Russia supplies almost one third of total gas consumption of Europe. Interestingly, U.S. expresses that the new routes sans Russia would make the market function better and enhance energy security.



In its bid to end Russian monopoly in gas distribution system, America is lobbying hard with its European cohorts and politically trying to strengthen its foothold in central Asian republics.



Working hard in this direction, the thick skinned U.S. is busy working out two major options:



1. Throwing its weight to Influence European plans to increase gas purchases from Algeria and Libya, as well as about liquefied natural gas from Qatar, which plans to triple its exports. And second...



2. Promoting pipeline routes that would bring gas from fields in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan near the Caspian Sea through Turkey to Europe.



It is pretty clear now that U.S. cannot digest increasing European oil dependence on Russia since it would undermine the political influence of America in Europe. U.S. would never like its own pet ally, until now, NATO to distance itself from America.



Politics over energy pipelines is politics by compulsion and not by choice. No matter, if Russia and U.S. striking a deal on reprocessing waste from nuclear power plants, the pipeline politics has virtually exposed the reciprocated distrust between the countries.



What’s more? The U.S. vice president Dick Cheney has stated recently that no legitimate interest is served when oil and gas become tools of intimidation or blackmail. However, this statement again reflects the dual standard of U.S. that too in a situation when it has taken the world on ransom. America at times forgets to recall that U.S. itself was instrumental in blocking Gazprom, a state owned company from Russia, to invest in European market.



On the other hand, Russia is busy working out its strategy to keep the distribution system of energy in its own control. The biggest breakthrough it has made recently is the finalizing a deal with Germany to build a Germany bound pipeline that has irked U.S. to a great extent.



Further, Russia is already in regular touch with major oil producing countries such Iran, Algeria and other nations so that their policies do not undercut each other.



The pipeline politics will make a more intensifying mark on international geo-politics in the times to come.



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