Curiously, such sentiments seem to be dominating Bush Administration policy toward the region at the very moment that State Department experts are confronting the unravelling of one of their principal theses, i.e.
With state-controlled giants such as OAO Rosneft and OAO Gazprom dominating the oil and gas sector, most future foreign investment will be directed at sectors like automobiles and retail-related services, says Peter Westin, chief economist at the Aton brokerage in Moscow.
The Democratic 2016 front-runner announced her opposition to the project -- which is still the subject of a years-long State Department review -- as Pope Francis landed in the United States, dominating national media attention.