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The New Great Game: Blood and Oil in Central Asia
Discusses the history and current status of efforts to control the vast untapped oil and gas reserves in the Caspian Sea region of Central Asia, detailing competition among the U.S., Russia, and China for dominance in the area, the role of transnational energy corporations, and the impact of political and economic uncertaining.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 17, 2009
This is really a great book. I've read half of it now -- quick, fast-paced, the author (a young German resource-war journalist) traveled by car and other means, from Baku to Georgia, Astana, into Xinjiang, Iran, Afghanistan, in search of the politics of pipelines -- and simply recounts all the things he saw and people he spoke to. Illuminating and fun.
The book is about 4 years old, and there are a few points (but only a few) where events have either confirmed (Georgia) or confuted (Kashagan, where he bought the line that the Khazaks might be pumping 10 mmbo/d by 2020) his fears/hopes -- but even these examples are illuminating.
(Central Asia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Caspian Oil, pipelines, resource wars/terror wars -- written by journalist who traveled from Baku to Western China... shadowing the warlords, Oil execs, etc...)
The book is about 4 years old, and there are a few points (but only a few) where events have either confirmed (Georgia) or confuted (Kashagan, where he bought the line that the Khazaks might be pumping 10 mmbo/d by 2020) his fears/hopes -- but even these examples are illuminating.
(Central Asia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Caspian Oil, pipelines, resource wars/terror wars -- written by journalist who traveled from Baku to Western China... shadowing the warlords, Oil execs, etc...)
July 7, 2013
While dated (this book was first published in 2004) a lot of the dynamics of the region date back to the Cold War and that history has not and will not change. One of my favorite aspects of the narrative was its fairness to all players; in other words the author did not hold back on pointing out the ludicrous actions of any and all actors in the region when the circumstances called for it.
What also helped the book move along and not feel slow was the narrative way in which the author wrote it. One country led to the next as you followed the author through Central Asia, which helped to avoid it feeling like a dry history book.
This book is a great primer on some of the underlying issues in the Caspian region. The only issue is that it is dated, so to get the clearest picture, you'd have to read more current writing on the subject.
What also helped the book move along and not feel slow was the narrative way in which the author wrote it. One country led to the next as you followed the author through Central Asia, which helped to avoid it feeling like a dry history book.
This book is a great primer on some of the underlying issues in the Caspian region. The only issue is that it is dated, so to get the clearest picture, you'd have to read more current writing on the subject.
July 21, 2020
This is another work that reinforces the idea/fact that U.S. policy in the Mid-East and Central Asia is severely flawed and needs to be reexamined. Our relationships with despotic dictators needs to be much more transparent to the people of the U.S. Also since the Caspian oil/gas bubble needs to be transported out of the Caspian area in pipelines that run through many unstable states or Russia. This work shows the difficulties with all these options. None of the newly minted Caspian states are anxious to sell there oil/gas to the west through Russia. These states do not want to hang there economic livelihood on Russia interests in the West. What if Russia decides on embargo and turns the oil/gas taps off in the Gas-prom pipeline? The Caspian states don't want there oil boom to be controlled by Moscow.
Moving on to Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, unstable governments, bandits, Russian interference, ethnic tensions and a host of other problems mean routs through this area are also sketchy. Several lines have been built since The New Great Game was published, but these have also been shut down due to all of the above reasons for some period of time since they were completed. These pipelines end up in Turkey, which under Erdoğan is another iffy state. Heading for another extreme Rt. wing conservative Islamic State? Does the U.S. want our oil coming from another RT wing Radical Islamic State?
Next there's Afghanistan. Do we today want to deal with the Taliban and their repressive regime or another failed state that is filled with individual clans and war bands of narco traffickers.
Next are Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan. All these states are dictatorships and have lousy human rights records, but are being courted by China. China wants to get in on the Great Game and use Caspian oil as a relief from long tanker trips from the Persian Gulf and dependence on Saudi oil. So China's looking to divest from the Saudi Govern meant with it's accompanied religious suppression and other human rights issues which the U.S. has turned a blind eye to since 1991 and Desert Storm.
This brings us to Iran which is the most logical to any one with two functioning brain cells. The only reason Iran is out? The very conservative Revolutionary Guard outed Reagan in the mid 80's. This has lead to the GOP continually undermining ANY Democratic idea that does not involve violent regime change in Iran. With every Democratic move to support a more liberal Iranian Government the GOP kills it. This brings back a more Conservative Revolutionary Guard Government and that plays to the GOP's War Hawk approach to all international problems. With Iran, this is expressed in the work by the former oil minister, "The Iranian people will starve, freeze, loose their children, loose their lives, and families before they allow a return of pre-Shah ideas or Government. And this is exactly the regime change the GOP wants.
All in all this is a must read to better understand what is going on in the Mid-East and Central Asia.
Moving on to Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, unstable governments, bandits, Russian interference, ethnic tensions and a host of other problems mean routs through this area are also sketchy. Several lines have been built since The New Great Game was published, but these have also been shut down due to all of the above reasons for some period of time since they were completed. These pipelines end up in Turkey, which under Erdoğan is another iffy state. Heading for another extreme Rt. wing conservative Islamic State? Does the U.S. want our oil coming from another RT wing Radical Islamic State?
Next there's Afghanistan. Do we today want to deal with the Taliban and their repressive regime or another failed state that is filled with individual clans and war bands of narco traffickers.
Next are Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan. All these states are dictatorships and have lousy human rights records, but are being courted by China. China wants to get in on the Great Game and use Caspian oil as a relief from long tanker trips from the Persian Gulf and dependence on Saudi oil. So China's looking to divest from the Saudi Govern meant with it's accompanied religious suppression and other human rights issues which the U.S. has turned a blind eye to since 1991 and Desert Storm.
This brings us to Iran which is the most logical to any one with two functioning brain cells. The only reason Iran is out? The very conservative Revolutionary Guard outed Reagan in the mid 80's. This has lead to the GOP continually undermining ANY Democratic idea that does not involve violent regime change in Iran. With every Democratic move to support a more liberal Iranian Government the GOP kills it. This brings back a more Conservative Revolutionary Guard Government and that plays to the GOP's War Hawk approach to all international problems. With Iran, this is expressed in the work by the former oil minister, "The Iranian people will starve, freeze, loose their children, loose their lives, and families before they allow a return of pre-Shah ideas or Government. And this is exactly the regime change the GOP wants.
All in all this is a must read to better understand what is going on in the Mid-East and Central Asia.
February 1, 2016
Nicely explains the events which shaped the new Geopolitics in Asia. Oil in Central Asia has played a vital role in attracting America towards this region; invasion of Afghanistan was a part of it. This is the game where every player is trying its best to gain maximum profit. This book reflects that Central Asian states' hydrocarbon reserves have significant importance till date specially in the wake of depleting petroleum reserves of Saudi Arabia and other Oil producing countries; to tackle future energy problems which have started to shatter the economies of some giants.Although it is an undeniable fact that future is Renewable energy resources but Oil and gas have yet to play their role for coming many decades.
May 27, 2020
I Read this book in 2019. The geo-politico environment has changed much in Central and South Asian countries since publication of this book.
Elegantly exhibits reportage and travelogue by Lutz Kleveman.
But author seems to be looking every state/ country he visited through the prism of Europe and its vested interests in Asian Countries and amid Post- Soviet era to Post 9/11.
Good book to know the turmoil, pandemonium and leadership crisis endured by Central Asian Countries in Post Soviet first decade.
Elegantly exhibits reportage and travelogue by Lutz Kleveman.
But author seems to be looking every state/ country he visited through the prism of Europe and its vested interests in Asian Countries and amid Post- Soviet era to Post 9/11.
Good book to know the turmoil, pandemonium and leadership crisis endured by Central Asian Countries in Post Soviet first decade.
August 17, 2025
The book looks at Central Asia and the Caucasus in the immediate September 11, 2001 world and how it is developing in regards to oil and natural gas. Travelling around the region and visiting the countries in the area, from Georgia to Pakistan, Kleveman spoke to locals and key figures in the field, and examined what the future may hold for them. Looking back 20 years after the fact it is interesting to see where things were right and wrong, and the optimism that the US (and allied forces) would only be in Afghanistan a short time is sadly misguided, as was the idea the Taliban were eradicated. However the influence of Russia and Iran on the region, as well as the US itself, certainly held up, though not quite as predicted here. An interesting book in terms of a time-capsule into that world.
June 8, 2022
Hats off to Mr. Kleveman for his courage and his curiosity -- he puts himself in some decidedly dicey situations to unearth the information he's looking for -- but I found his reportage entirely too anecdotal and subjective. I was reminded of Robert Kaplan's "Balkan Ghosts" and its sense of drive-through journalism: lots of sweeping (and not entirely convincing) generalizations based on very particular localized experiences, impressions, and interviews.
February 3, 2018
I bought this book partly for my interest in the region, and partly because it mentions Chagala (who I had work dealings with at the time). It gives an interesting flavor of the region, but highly coloured and I wouldn't completely trust any of the analysis as it just seems to personally influenced.
July 6, 2022
Interesting read and especially relevant given the high price of oil. Woth a read to get some additional perspective given our current governments ineptitude.
April 21, 2012
This is a rambling, and somewhat dated, survey of what is (was?) happening in each of the countries in the Central Asian region. Kleveman writes just like a reporter on assignment, so the book reads like newspaper story and tends to jump around, somewhat searching for thematic focus in each chapter. Overall, however, the theme is very clear - oil is the driving force in the geo-political machinations of today's most powerful countries.
The book fails with Kleveman's overt focus on the United States' involvement in the area. Given the time the book was written, this may have been unavoidable; but one would like to see what a more balanced approach would have yielded. For instance, Kleveman probably could have given equal time to Russia and China along with the U.S. Though these countries are mentioned, Kleveman doesn't go to nearly as much trouble to outline these nations' involvement in Central Asia, resorting to oblique references (the Russians are interfering with Georgia; the Chinese are beefing up their presence in western China, etc.).
Finally, Kleveman really goes out on a limb in the final two sections, giving the reader his own opinions about the United States' efforts in The War on Terror. Since these opinions were written almost a decade ago, it is somewhat interesting to note that Mr. Kleveman's predictions were nearly infallibly wrong (he predicts, for example, the U.S. would lose the war in Iraq). Perhaps Mr. Kleveman should take the time to rewrite his afterword while employing the perspective only time can yield. At any rate, the last two sections demonstrate why reporters should stick to reporting and refrain from offering advice on foreign policy.
The book fails with Kleveman's overt focus on the United States' involvement in the area. Given the time the book was written, this may have been unavoidable; but one would like to see what a more balanced approach would have yielded. For instance, Kleveman probably could have given equal time to Russia and China along with the U.S. Though these countries are mentioned, Kleveman doesn't go to nearly as much trouble to outline these nations' involvement in Central Asia, resorting to oblique references (the Russians are interfering with Georgia; the Chinese are beefing up their presence in western China, etc.).
Finally, Kleveman really goes out on a limb in the final two sections, giving the reader his own opinions about the United States' efforts in The War on Terror. Since these opinions were written almost a decade ago, it is somewhat interesting to note that Mr. Kleveman's predictions were nearly infallibly wrong (he predicts, for example, the U.S. would lose the war in Iraq). Perhaps Mr. Kleveman should take the time to rewrite his afterword while employing the perspective only time can yield. At any rate, the last two sections demonstrate why reporters should stick to reporting and refrain from offering advice on foreign policy.
February 6, 2016
Outstanding reporting of the reemergence of a centuries old "Great Game" played for political supremacy of Central Asia. While in the past this competition was waged between Great Britain and Imperial Russia over invasion routes to India, today's contest involves access to fossil fuel resources and associated transport corridors. Kleveman tells the stories of the "stans" -- the former Soviet Republics that are finding their way as independent countries, but which are still held in the orbit of the great powers. Though generally ignored by Western media these days, Central Asia has long served as the center of the world's grand strategic chessboard -- the "geographic pivot of history," in the words of a legendary geostrategist. History rhymes and geography endures -- and Central Asia may regain the focus of the world's geopolitical spotlight in the coming decades. For readers interested in a preview of this future, "The New Great Game" is the book to read.
May 20, 2008
An excellent primer on modern day Central Asian politics. Another layer that requires further study if one follows the subject, is the clan structures of the various ethnicities and their influence on internal politics. And if one does closely follow Central Asian affairs, one gets the feeling this book is already outdated. Alliances shift as every nation from the Caspian sea to China's western frontier try to play the Superpowers each against each other for pipeline deals. I also recommend Daniel Yergin's The Prize and the Financial Time's profile of the "Seven Sisters" and the "New Seven Sisters" of the oil industry.
May 17, 2007
A short, but unexpectedly good work of journalism about oil and the peoples of Central Asia. Klevemann may sort of overplay his master narrative about the importance of Central Asian oil at times, but I don't think very much in the case of the U.S., Iran, and China. Helped me to understand the squabbles that the U.S. had with Uzbekistan over the past two years, despite the regime's egregious human rights violations. Haunting how we seem to be returning to the stage of the first "Great Game." It's short, so it's worth flipping through.
August 2, 2007
One of the most informative books on the region as it stands today, that I've read. And I've read A LOT of books on central asia. The author puts himself in some interesting places that cause you to see how the world works for the people who live here, and make you understand. It was very interesting reading up on Iran in this way.
I think that he was able to get the access he did was because he was German.
I think that he was able to get the access he did was because he was German.
January 8, 2009
Very cool to see how the 18th and 19th century "Great Game" is back and alive run not by governments, but by corporations. A rare political look into some countries that just never seem to make it onto CNN. This is almost the new Cold War as Russia and the US jockey for control of oil pipelines.
My favorite part: A whole chapter ends with the sentiment "But this is all for not if Russia ever invades the South Ossetia region." WOW. Talk about timely.
My favorite part: A whole chapter ends with the sentiment "But this is all for not if Russia ever invades the South Ossetia region." WOW. Talk about timely.
February 20, 2017
good intro to the importance of central asia and its vast oil resources. some of the information is dated. Wars by proxy for oil will make some people very rich and most very dead in this area of the world. This book made central asia look like the american west in the late 19th century; the meek and mild need not apply.
March 8, 2014
A well researched topic. I liked the conclusion that the author gave. In the light of present situation in Ukraine and Crimea the topic holds a lot of significance. The book though is a bit old in for the fast developing situation. However the fundamentals haven't changed. Overall a must read book for all interested in the topic.
February 4, 2008
Great insight into the geopolitics of the Capian Oil region which explores the impact of the foreign policies of Washington and Moscow, the interests of the major oil companies versus the state oil companies and the impact on the peoples of the various former Soviet republics.
August 22, 2008
Essential reading if you want to understand what is happening between Russia and Georgia today. Sebastian gave this book to me when I came to visit him in Baku, and I read it on a park bench next to the Caspian Sea, breathing air thick with the smell of petroleum...
July 7, 2010
well, this was just great. If you don't take notes, you have one really cool road trip. And I suggest you don't, there's better sources out there (ones that actually care to reference).
best way into the problematic, makes you feel the urgency
best way into the problematic, makes you feel the urgency
November 6, 2007
If you want to understand the world, you have to know what's going on in Central Asia. This book will help you get there.
January 22, 2008
good book on hte history of oil and the politics that evolved because of it
February 14, 2010
Middling writing but enlightening material for what REALLY drives those obscure Central Asian and Caucasus countries - and all the first-world countries who try to court them.
July 1, 2012
Interesting facts, could be more insightful and better written..in parts somehow incoherent
August 25, 2011
"The information is somewhat dated now, but the book is well written and informative. And in case you thought Afghanistan was about terrorism and Iraq about WMD.... think oil."
April 14, 2016
Crash course on geopolitics in Central Asia and Eurasia.
December 4, 2015
Dated material for 2014
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews