It has been a triumphant year for Moscow in its energy rivalry with the US, trumping at every turn Washington's efforts to promote Western interests from the Caspian to Central Asia. At the heart of the struggle in 2008 will be Iran, Europe's only serious option for diversifying its energy imports. But already, Moscow is drawing Tehran more tightly into its embrace. A successful union would give the couple control of roughly 20% of world's oil reserves and close to half of the world's gas reserves. - M K Bhadrakumar (Dec 21, '07)