Title: The Changing Geopolitical Importance of Siberia
Headings: The Changing Geopolitical Importance of Siberia
The Changing Geopolitical Importance of Siberia
Summary
Development of Siberia
Natural Resources and Russian Strategy
Importance of East Asia

Content: The second is that many European countries are in the process of diversifying their energy inputs, to the detriment of Russian energy exports. Although major "Southern Corridor" projects like Nabucco — projects that are intended to build infrastructure around Russia — have not met expectations, other energy inputs are starting to chip away at Gazprom's market share. Particularly important is the growth of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which has come to represent 30 percent of the global natural gas supply. Already several LNG import terminals have come online in Western Europe , and for the first time Central and Eastern European countries, namely Poland and Lithuania, have made significant progress in securing LNG import structures. In the meantime, the EU Third Energy Package, which seeks to unbundle supply, distribution and sales of energy assets, threatens Russia's position in many European countries, where Gazprom is dominant in both supply and distribution. The Asian market is a promising but relatively new one for Russia, while the European market will continue to challenge the leverage that Russia has spent the past few decades creating. Regardless of how Russia's energy policy develops, Siberia will remain a crucial part of the Russian state as both a buffer zone and a resource base.