Russia Now World's Top Oil Producer. Europe Ponders Winter Gas Supplies.

GUARDIAN.UK/
Russia produced almost 10 million barrels of oil a day in August -a post-Soviet record. Oil Analyst Andrew Neff said "Not only is it(Russia)the world's largest gas exporter but now the world's biggest oil exporter as well. The question is will Russia want to exploit its feeling of superiority and demand a seat not just at the table, but at the head of the table."

The European Pipeline Fantasy Has Become A Gas War With Russia.

FOREIGN POLICY MAGAZINE...With PIPELINE MAP.

Russia supplies about a third of the European Union's gas -- and some of its countries are 100 percent dependent on Russia. Europe's annual gas consumption is set to rise 40 percent by 2030, raising fears about dependence on Russia. Several times, Moscow has cut off gas deliveries after disputes with transit countries like Ukraine, leaving millions of Europeans freezing.

So Europe is planning for alternative sources and delivery systems--with mixed success.

"This gas war is especially hard-fought because of the physical nature of the prize itself. Unlike oil, which can be put onto tankers and shipped anywhere, gas is generally moved in pipelines that traverse, and are thus tethered to, geography. Because a pipeline cannot be rerouted, producers and consumers sign long-term agreements that bind one to the politics of the other, as well as to the transit states in between. In this way, today's gas war is a zero-sum conflict similar to the scramble for resources that divided Eurasia in the 19th century. And now, as then, commerce is taking a back seat to politics."