Trans-Caspian Subsea Gas Pipeline Project Vital For Turkey – OpEd - EURASIA REVIEW

FEBRUARY 24, 2017

Haluk Direskeneli

Turkmenistan has 20+ trillion cubic meters of proven natural gas deposits. Annual gas production is around 60 bcm, where 20 bcm is used in domestic consumption. In the past, neighboring countries Russia and Iran bought natural gas, but these sales are now stopped. Today Turkmenistan can sell gas only to China, which is situated at their east border.

Earlier, Turkmen gas was priced 160 US Dollars per 1000m3, now the gas export price is reduced to 100 US dollars per 1000m3. Natural gas sales revenues have drastically decreased in time. Turkmenistan used to export natural gas to Russia and Iran in the past. Export gas volume was around 40-50 bcm. Now the export figure is down. State agencies plan to build new gas pipelines to reach Afghanistan and Pakistan. But there is no financing secured yet for this important project.

Israel The Maritime Power: A Noble Vision, But Is It Feasible? – Analysis - EURASIA REVIEW

JANUARY 4, 2017

Traditionally, Israel has relied primarily on its ground and air forces to meet national security needs. Now it must also bolster its naval forces — this is what ten prominent US and Israeli experts argue in a joint University of Haifa and Hudson Institute report released earlier this year.

The US Navy — the guarantor of free trade — has significantly shrunk its permanent presence in the Mediterranean since the end of the Cold War. As the report notes, “[t]he Sixth Fleet’s permanent naval presence is now a single command ship in Italy and four Aegis destroyers equipped for ballistic missile defense, all based in Rota, Spain, just outside the Mediterranean.”

According to the report, Israel must therefore strive to take on the regional naval policing job and seek even greater cooperation with the US Navy. In other words it must play the role of deputy sheriff in a similar manner to the United Kingdom and Australia.