Asia's Coming Energy Wars: Myths and Dilemmas of Energy, Security, and the Pacific Future

Starting from the under-examined reality of burgeoning Asian energy demand, Robert A. Manning analyzes the consequences of this critical new factor driving world markets and geopolitics. He debunks key myths about the oil and gas industry: that the world is running out of oil, that the Caspian Basin is the new Persian Gulf, that resource scarcity combined with military modernization, economic buoyancy, and nationalism will lead to military conflict, and that territorial disputes among Asian nations, such as those in the South China Sea, are fueled by resource competition. His book assesses the energy challenges and strategies of Asian nations and explores the new geopolitics emerging out of their efforts to meet these challenges, the new possibilities for energy to serve as a cooperative, integrating factor in regional security, and the implications for American interests and policies in the region.