China Begins to Turn Against Iran
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran slipped further into global isolation on Thursday as China, its traditional ally, warned Tehran against its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

After a visit to the Gulf in which he met the leaders of the states most threatened by Iran's aggressive foreign policy, Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier, issued Beijing's clearest condemnation yet.

"China adamantly opposes Iran developing and possessing nuclear weapons," he said.

China appears to have sent a message to Iran that it could not rely on Beijing's unstinting support by reducing its imports of oil at a time when the US and Europe are promoting an embargo on the country.

The Washington Post reported that China trimmed its oil imports from Iran in January from a daily average of around 550,000 barrels to 285,000 barrels a day.

Chinese foreign policy experts said the statement demonstrated that Beijing would not allow its international position to end up beholden to Iran.

Mr Wen's trip to three of the world's biggest oil-and-gas producers was de[s]cribed by some commentators as an attempt to seek alternative energy sources, although he politely denied this was the case: "Some people said my visit was to secure oil, which is narrow-minded. I came here for friendship."

"Iran would not have wanted China to make this statement, but Iran must understand that if it comes down to a choice China will not alienate itself from the rest of the world for the sake of single country," said Yu Guoqing, a researcher on the Middle East at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. » | Malcolm Moore, Henry Samuel and Damien McElroy | Thursday, January 19, 2012

Denmark Preparing to Stake Claim on North Pole
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Denmark plans to lay claim to the North Pole and other areas in the Arctic, where melting ice is creating new shipping routes, fishing grounds and drilling opportunities for oil and gas, according to a leaked government document.

The draft document titled "Strategy for the Arctic" said Denmark's Science Ministry has started collecting data to formally submit a claim for several areas to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf no later than 2014.

To be successful, the Danes will have to present evidence proving that the North Pole is geologically linked to Greenland - which has been part of Denmark for more than 600 years[.]

Russia, Norway, Canada and the US have their own claims - sometimes competing - in a region believed to hold as much as 25 per cent of the world's undiscovered oil and gas.

The Danish government confirmed the authenticity of the document, which was first obtained by Danish Radio and published online by newspaper Information.

Denmark has for years explored potential claims to areas off Greenland, a semiautonomous territory, but this is the first time the government explicitly states it will make a claim for the North Pole, said Martin Breum, a Danish journalist who has written a book about Denmark's interests in the Arctic. » | Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Russia Warns of War within a Decade over Arctic Oil and Gas Riches
Photo credit: TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: Russia raised the prospect of war in the Arctic yesterday as nations struggle for control of the world’s dwindling energy reserves.

The country’s new national security strategy identified the intensifying battle for ownership of vast untapped oil and gas fields around its borders as a source of potential military conflict within a decade.

“The presence and potential escalation of armed conflicts near Russia’s national borders, pending border agreements between Russia and several neighbouring nations, are the major threats to Russia’s interests and border security,” stated the document, which analysed security threats up to 2020.

“In a competition for resources it cannot be ruled out that military force could be used to resolve emerging problems that would destroy the balance of forces near the borders of Russia and her allies.”

The Kremlin has insisted that it is not “militarising the Arctic” but its warnings of armed conflict suggest that it is willing to defend its interests by force if necessary as global warming makes exploitation of the region’s energy riches more feasible.

The United States, Norway, Canada and Denmark are challenging Russia’s claim to a section of the Arctic shelf, the size of Western Europe, which is believed to contain billions of tonnes of oil and gas. >>> Tony Halpin in Moscow | Thursday, May 14, 2009

TIMESONLINE:
The very cold war >>>

NZZ Online: Neue Sicherheitsdoktrin Russlands: Die USA und die Nato als potenzielle Bedrohungen

Nach einem zähen Entstehungsprozess hat der russische Präsident Medwedew eine neue Sicherheitsdoktrin in Kraft gesetzt. Die nationale Sicherheit wird darin sehr weit gefasst. Besonders die USA und die Nato erscheinen als potenzielle Bedrohung.

Russland hat in diesen Tagen sicherheitspolitisch mit den neunziger Jahren abgeschlossen. Präsident Medwedew setzte am Dienstagabend mit seiner Unterschrift die Strategie über nationale Sicherheit bis 2020 in Kraft, nachdem deren Fertigstellung mehrmals ins Stocken geraten war.

Das Dokument, das auf der Internetseite des russischen Sicherheitsrates eingesehen werden kann, beginnt mit dem Satz, Russland habe die Folgen der systembedingten politischen und sozioökonomischen Krise des ausgehenden 20. Jahrhunderts überwunden. Die Wendung steht für das neue Selbstbewusstsein und die Abkehr von der in der heutigen politischen Elite mit Niedergang und aussenpolitischer Demütigung gleichgesetzten Ära Präsident Jelzins. Aus jener Zeit stammte die nun abgelöste bisherige Sicherheitskonzeption.

Das Grundlagenpapier, um das anscheinend hart gerungen worden war, versteht nationale Sicherheit in einem sehr umfassenden Sinn und leitet diese wesentlich von ökonomischen und sozialen Verhältnissen im Land ab. Die Ausrichtung auf das Jahr 2020 entspricht der vor einem Jahr vorgestellten «Strategie 2020», die einen Schwerpunkt auf wirtschaftliche, gesellschaftliche und infrastrukturelle Entwicklungen legt. >>> mac. Moskau | Mittwoch, 13. Mai 2009