I have permission from Random House to distribute an excerpt from
journalist Steve LeVine's mammoth new book, "The Oil and The Glory:
The Pursuit of Empire and Fortune on the Caspian Sea."
The excerpt is called "Azeri Oil" and follows the final negotiations
for development of Azerbaijan's massive offshore oil fields. After
three years and six changes of government, a deal is finally struck
between private and state-owned oil companies as diplomats from Russia
and the United States spar in the background. Overnight, $230 million
in cash put up by the oil companies disappears into private bank
accounts, apparently benefiting Azeri leader Heydar Aliyev and his
associates. It's just one of the stunning, billion-dollar deals
documented in this book.
"This is the new way wars are fought," says journalist LeVine, who
covered the region for a string of global media companies including
The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and
Newsweek. Serving 11 years in the Caspian, LeVine was flown home on a
stretcher when a Chechen rocket grenade shattered his leg.
The excerpt from "The Oil and The Glory" is available at the following
URL:
http://www.authorviews.com/authors/levine/excerpt.php
STEVE O'KEEFE
AuthorViews
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