Book note
Random House has installed a search-the-book function for The Oil and the Glory
Steve's appearance at Google
Steve's appearance at Google
Steve LeVine covers foreign affairs for BusinessWeek. He previously was correspondent for Central Asia and the Caucasus for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times for 11 years. His first book, The Oil and the Glory, a history of the former Soviet Union through the lens of oil, was published in October 2007. Putin’s Labyrinth, his new book, profiles Russia through the lives and deaths of six Russians. It was released this week.
Videos and Podcasts from The Oil and the Glory
A Blog on Russia, Central Asia and
the Caucasus
Friday, November 16, 2007
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Praise for Putin's Labyrinth:
If Steve LeVine's aim … was to chill us to the marrow about post-Communist Russia, he has succeeded.
LeVine's reconstruction of a savagely botched anti-terrorist operation at a Moscow theatre is particularly effective.
With fresh insights into the Chechen wars and Putin’s post-presidency plans, LeVine’s important take on the all-too-real machinations and bloodthirstiness from which espionage thrillers are made is both unnerving and intriguing.
Donna Seaman, Booklist
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- How to Aggravate the Petro-States
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2 Comments:
Steve,
I plan to read your book. Having worked for several years in that area I can appreciate your insight. I'd like to point out that "Big Oil" isn't the only "bad guy" in the area. Consider the atmosphere of corruption in Kazakhstan from the Federal to the local level. Everyone wants a piece of any action, and oil producers are often caught in the middle, between the demanding governments, and the everpresent pressure from the US government in the form of the FCPA.
One thing that has changed in the situation with Chevron in Tengiz, is that the $5Billion investment in new infrastructure leaves them with no leverage against the unreasonable fines and demands of the Kazakhstan government. Sulfur was there before Chevron got into Tengiz, and being saddled with the production methods from the Soviet era, there was no choice except to keep producing it, or to shut down production. The environmental fines are just ways of milking the enterprise, in addition to royalties and taxes. Such is life in the "developing" countries.
Thanks for this on-the-ground comment. I particularly want to be clear that, if you mean that I make Big Oil to appear to be a "bad guy," that is entirely unintentional. Your characterization of the nature of the personalities and entities is absolutely correct, in my view. I especially appreciate your explaining reality for Chevron, an important insight for the subsequent item on the fine. Thanks and best, Steve
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