I dunno, Mud; ol' Dubya knows the former Soviet Union is
awash in oil;
without the wherewithall & means to tap into most of it.
Sounds (to me) like some future
stratagizing might be going on here?
Besides, why are we doing business with the PRC when they steadfastlty REFUSE to relax their
totalitarian grip on their people, all the while snubbing those of the former block countries,
I'll never know.
Just seems to me the entire situation sound've been the other way around.