IHT: Letter from Europe: Guessing game focuses on European energy - by Judy Dempsey
Letter from Europe: Guessing game focuses on European energy - by Judy Dempsey
In the early 19th century, it was about protecting and extending the land and sea routes of their dominions. Now, it is about energy, particularly Iranian natural gas. And this time, it is the Europeans and the Americans who are trying to outmaneuver each other in the hope of standing first in line if reformist politicians emerge in Iran.
The European plan seems simple. Europe needs Iranian natural gas for the Nabucco pipeline, the European Union's most ambitious infrastructure project. The idea envisions Europe receiving gas through a pipeline stretching 3,000 kilometers, or 1,800 miles, from Turkey through the Balkans and Central Europe into Austria. Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Iran, which hold the world's largest reserves, would feed gas into the pipeline.
