- How I became a soldier in the Georgia-Russia cyberwar | Slate Magazine – “Paranoid that the Kremlin’s hand is everywhere, we risk underestimating the great patriotic rage of many ordinary Russians, who, having been fed too much government propaganda in the last few days, are convinced that they need to crash Georgian Web sites. Many Russians undoubtedly went online to learn how to make mischief, as I did. Within an hour, they, too, could become cyberwarriors.”
- Gazprom may have to share export pipelines – paper | Reuters – “Under the proposal, Gazprom would retain its export monopoly status but would have to buy gas for exports from independent producers on a pro-rata basis to their production”. A very bizarre antitrust move, but it’s very unlikely to be enacted.
- Iran Aims to Boost Oil Sales to China, India | guardian.co.uk – Iran plans to boost shipments to fast-growing energy consumers China and India and may reduce the flow to other buyers, a top Iranian oil official said on Thursday.
The United States has sought to isolate Iran over its nuclear programme, which Iran says is for purely peaceful purposes.
State-run companies of Asian economies keen to secure future energy supplies are less susceptible to U.S. pressure to stay out of the Islamic Republic and are taking a bigger role in its energy sector.
- Paul Krugman – The Great Illusion – “…the belief that economic rationality always prevents war is an equally great illusion. And today’s high degree of global economic interdependence, which can be sustained only if all major governments act sensibly, is more fragile than we imagine.”