2. •Conflicts would continue to have significant
impact on the issues related to energy security.
However the dynamics of the conflicts
themselves have been undergoing major
tectonic shifts.
•In spite of major differences of opinions and
unresolved issues, seldom inter-state issues are
taking the shape of major conflicts.

3. However, on the contrary the reduction in
possibilities inter-state conflicts have coincided
with rapid increase in the instances and
possibilities of disruptions by non state actors
•Such non-state actors, often many of whom have
alleged state backing, have been resorting to
major terror attacks as well as wreaking havoc as
is evident in states like Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan,
Nigeria, Kenya, Libya and Yemen.

4. On one hand, The geopolitical environment of the
world is changing fast. Several incidents and events of
the past few years vindicate the emerging primacy and
dominance of Continental Asia in the times to come.
There is no doubt that the theatre of global economic
activities is gradually moving towards Asia.
•Meanwhile, some of the largest energy reservoirs
would also continue to be in Asia
•Simultaneously, some of the most violent
extremist/terror groups originated and also now have
their major presence in the Asian theatre with
possibilities of them playing an increasingly disruptive
role being more pertinent now than ever before.

5. •There is also a considerable sophistication in the
kind of terror attacks that have been taking place.
•From random terror attacks on military
installations, the theatre of terror attacks are
shifting towards targeting
critical economic infrastructures including critical
energy infrastructures.
•Pipelines have often been a favourite target of
terror and extremist groups across the world. In
the recent past that has been extended to
refineries as well.

6. •In February 2006, Saudi security prevented an attempted
suicide bomb attack at the Abqaiq petroleum processing
facility, after Al-Qaeda leadership called for renewed attacks
against the country's economic backbone.
•Abqaiq’s primary function is to remove hydrogen sulphide
from crude oil and reduce the vapour pressure, making the
crude safer to be shipped in tankers. Abqaiq is the largest
such complex in the world and some 75 percent of Saudi
Arabia’s oil output passes through the complex.
Oil security analysts have estimated that a serious attack on
the facility could halve Saudi exports for up to a year.
Another similar attack was thwarted in June 2006.

7. •The 483 mile long Cano Limon Pipeline in Colombia
have been bombed 950 times by various extremist
groups, FARC being the most prominent of them.
•The pipeline has been bombed so many times and
have so many holes in it that Colombians have
nicknamed it "the flute."
•Possibility of similar attacks on pipelines carrying
gas to Europe and even to Asian countries like India
and China cannot be completely ruled out

9. Therefore , for major oil & gas consuming countries,
essentially dependent on import of the same,
internal security of the oil & gas producing countries
and that of the transit countries /sea routes through
which pipelines or tankers pass is a matter of
critical importance.
In other words, seamless supply energy from
energy exporting countries is not guaranteed even if
the energy exporting and the importing nations have
no geopolitical tensions between them.

10. •Internal Security of nations continue to be a very sensitive
issue and most prefer to avoid external advise or
assistance and completely abhor external interventions.
•Can an energy recipient state go ask an international
forum to request/assist another state to take care of its
internal security because of the impact it has on the
former’s energy security?
•What is essentially lacking is an institutional architecture
at the multilateral level which would work towards
advising and helping nations improve their internal
security architecture
 UN interventions have rarely helped in improving
matters.

12. Present Area of
Dominance
Future Plan???

13.  Unlike Al Qaeda and its other affiliates, ISIS is not
interested in destroying energy assets.
 Instead it has been striving to take over the oil and gas
fields and operate them for revenue generation, a striking
shift in strategy for a terror organization.
 In mid-June. near the northern city of Mosul, the Islamic
State had taken over the Najma and Qayara fields, while
further south near Tikrit it overran the Himreen and Ajil
fields during its two-day sweep through northern Iraq
 In early July it was reported that ISIS seized al-Omar oil
field, the biggest oil field in Syria's eastern province of
Deir al-Zour.

14. NBC NEWS reported,
‘The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) is
believed to be generating a multi-million dollar profit
from the illegal trade, Iraqi officials told Reuters. ‘
‘Iraqi officials say that in recent weeks the group has
transported oil to be processed by mobile refineries
in Syria into low quality gas oil and gasoline, which is
then brought back for sale in Mosul. Gas stations in
Mosul - a city of 2 million people - are now selling
fuel supplied by traders working with ISIS.’
‘Larger shipments of crude are also said to be sold
via smugglers to Turkish traders at vastly discounted
prices of around $25 per barrel.’
Some reports estimate that the extent of earning
from ISIS is to the tune of $ 1 million a day.

15.  Things reached to such a naught that some
activities could be seen even in the United
Nations Security Council where Russia
submitted draft statement to the Security
Council on 28th July that would ban crude oil
sales by terrorist organizations in Syria and
Iraq, and potentially sanction anyone that
does business with them.

16.  Russia Today stated, The measure “strongly
condemns any engagement in direct or indirect
trade of oil from Syria involving terrorist groups,
and reiterates that such engagement constitutes
financial support for entities designated by the
Security Council 1267/1989 Committee as
terrorist.“
 The statement also calls on all member states to
take “necessary measures” to stop “nationals,
entities and individuals” from engaging in
transactions linked to non-state actors in the oil
industry in Syria.

17. Is the World Now
Willing to Even Trade
With Violent Non-State
Actors?

18.  Competition between Violent Terror
Organizations for prominence.
 The phoenix like rise of ISIS has eclipsed Al
Qaeda, thereby creating a dangerous
possibility of Al Qaeda attempting to do
something drastic to regain its lost position.