Those Who Control Oil and Water Will Control the World: It was Rudyard Kipling who brought the idea of the Great Game into the public mind in Kim, his cloak-and-dagger novel of espionage and imperial geopolitics in the time of the Raj. Then, the main players were Britain and Russia and the object of the game was control of central Asia’s oil. Now, Britain hardly matters and India and China, which were subjugated countries during the last round of the game, have emerged as key players. The struggle is no longer focused mainly on central Asian oil. It stretches from the Persian Gulf to Africa, Latin America, even the polar caps, and it is also a struggle for water and depleting supplies of vital minerals. [AlterNet]
A 670-mile-long shrine to American insecurity: Building a border wall to keep migrants out is an odd act for a nation so proud of its power. [LA Times]
Russia in the midst of a baby boom: Kremlin incentives and better prospects for the future are helping to stem the nation’s population decline. [LA Times]
American man sells domain name for $2.6m: An American man has accepted an offer of $2.6m (£1.3m) for the domain name pizza.com after holding a week-long online auction. Chris Clark sold the rights to the site, which he has maintained for just $20 a year since 1994, to an anonymous bidder. [Telegraph]
Follow the California Literary Review on Twitter: @calitreview
Leave a Comment