Energy Blast – Aug 15, 2008

A Moscow court has banned Robert Dudley, the TNK-BP joint venture’s chief executive, from working in Russia for two years. Dudley plans to continue managing the company from abroad. Some analysts maintain that the war is not about oil. New evidence reportedly “strongly suggests that Russia dropped bombs near oil and gas pipelines bringing fuel to the West.” BP has resumed exports of Azerbaijani natural gas through its South Caucasus pipeline across Georgia. Georgia’s pipelines remain vulnerable.