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Электронное приложение к журналу «
Международная жизнь
»
Author : Yu. Sayamov
Head of the UNESCO Chair for the Study of Global Issues, Faculty of Global Studies, Lomonosov
Moscow State University, Adviser to the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor
WHEN WE THINK about the world of today, unfor-
tunately, we have to recognize that the so-called end of
the Cold War has made it neither more stable nor more
secure. The bipolar geopolitical system, which had for
nearly half a century kept the world away from a new
global confrontation and which disappeared together
with the Soviet Union, has still not found a replacement.
The struggle for energy resources, in particular the
struggle for the sources of oil, has become one of the
main causes of disputes and conflicts, both past and
present. It can seriously poison the future of hu-
mankind, and in the worst case scenario it can lead to a global confrontation, which could be
the last one in its history unless a consensus is found on approaches to ensuring energy needs,
based on considerations of safety and respect for the interests of all parties to the energy process,
specifically producers, consumers and transit countries.
The desire to exploit, and even better, appropriate Russian energy resources by proposing that
Russia's sovereign subsoil and natural resources be regarded as common property, is still present
among some Western politicians.
The U.S. repeated the mistake with al-Qaeda, which had turned against its creator, by supporting
Islamic militants against the Syrian government. The so-called Islamic State that emerged as a
result has become a serious threat to international security, especially considering that it has taken
control of an oil source and makes about $3 million a day on oil deals to finance its military op-
erations and acts of terrorism.
Energy supply routes and means have become less reliable. Amid global instability, transit coun-
tries are more likely to succumb to the temptation to use their position to obtain additional ben-
efits in the form of higher transit fees and lower energy prices, not stopping at the simple stealing
of oil and gas from pipelines.
The joint work over nearly a decade and a half by representatives of France, Russia and other
countries at the Club's scientific discussion platform, with support from the Nice mayor's office
and the regional authorities, has produced tangible results.
The latest, the 13th Club de Nice meeting, last November, focused on new challenges in the en-
ergy sphere, relations between the EU and Russia in the deteriorating international context and
energy and geopolitical problems in Europe and the world.
On the whole, the participants were traditionally represented on a very high level. They included
the heads of the energy sector in different countries, prominent scientists, experts and re-
searchers, the Moroccan energy minister and the princess of Liechtenstein. The Nice mayor's
office was represented by Deputy Mayor Professor Bernard Asso, a co-founder of the Club.
Strategic Stability and the Energy Sector