"Energy superpower"--(second try)

[Cohen, Gerald Leonard]

    Yesterday I forwarded to ads-l a  request for information from Russian journalist Andrej Zlobin on "energy superpower" and "oil superpower." Today I received confirmation from Mr. Zlobin that messages sent to him will in fact arrive (a computer glitch yesterday has since been cleared up), and so here goes again.

    Does anyone have any information on these expressions, both of which seem to be an ordinary combination of two everyday words and neither of which seems extraordinary in any way?  The only thing that comes to mind is that I've never actually heard "energy superpower" and "oil superpower" in reference to any of the countries with great reserves of oil.  Somehow the expressions just aren't on the usual radar screens, even though they're perfectly comprehensible once attention is drawn to them.

     Maybe the Russians are more concerned in general with the concept of "superpower" than Americans are and perhaps the Russians see their gas/oil reserves as increasingly important as a leverage for power. Hence their interest in the expressions. Then, too, Iran has been telling the world that the world needs Iran more than Iran needs the world--or words to that effect.  So Iran may be viewing itself as having superpower status via its oil.

      Does anyone else have anything to add that might be of help to our Russian colleague?  Please respond both to him directly and to ads-l. His message to me is reproduced below my signoff.

Gerald Cohen

> ----------
> From:         Andrey Zlobin
> Sent:         Wednesday, June 14, 2006 1:13 PM
> To:   Cohen, Gerald Leonard
> Subject:      Russian magazine
>
> Dear Mr. Gerald Cohen,
>
> My name is Andrey Zlobin. I am a correspondent for the Russian magazine Smart Money (weekly edition of the daily newspaper Vedomosti).
> I am writing an article about the term Energy Superpower wich recently is using concerning Russia.
> Could you give us some commentary by phone (or by e-mail) over the origin of this term, if there are difference entre ENERGY SUPERPOWER and
> OIL SUPERPOWER, etc.
>
> Thank you very much,
>
> Andrey Zlobin, Reporter
> Smart Money magazine, Russia (www.smoney.ru)
> E-mail: a.zlobin at vedomosti.ru
> Phone: (7 495) 232 3200 ext.1849
> Fax: (7 495) 232 9285, 232 1761
>
>
>
>
>

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