Strategic Geography 2013

Population living with HIV and AIDS-related deaths in 2011, by region NUMBER OF NEW HIV
INFECTIONS, 20012011
Sub-Saharan Africa
South &
Southeast Asia
Oceania
East Asia
Eastern Europe
& Central Asia
Western &
Central Europe
Middle East
& North Africa
North America
Caribbean
Latin America
23,500,000
4,000,000
250,000
830,000
59,000
53,000
1,300
300,000
92,000
900,000
7,000
21,000
230,000
10,000
54,000
1,400,000
1,400,000
Russia* +50%
Middle East &
North Africa >+35%
Georgia >+25%
Kazakhstan >+25%
Swaziland -37%
Zimbabwe -50%
Ghana -66%
Botswana -71%
Malawi -73%
* Figure for Russia is an
estimate, for the period
between 20062011
1,400,000
23,000
1,200,000
Population living with HIV
KEY:
Aids-related deaths
GLOBAL RATES OF HIV INFECTIONS AND AIDS-RELATED DEATHS, IN MILLIONS
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
M
illio
n
s o
f in
fe
c
tio
n
s
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2007 2006
0
2008
People living with HIV
New HIV infections
AIDS-related deaths
1. Swaziland 26%
2. Botswana 23.4%
3. Lesotho 23.3%
4. South Africa 17.3%
5. Zimbabwe 14.9%
HIGHEST RATES OF HIV INFECTION AMONG 1549 YEAR OLDS
CONTROL MEASURES AGAINST HIV/AIDS
Malaria-affected countries
0-20%
20-40%
40-60%
60-80%
80-100%
Countries certifed by the
World Health Organization
as having eliminated malaria
1. Democratic Republic of the Congo 21,168
2. Cte dIvoire 18,156
3. Angola 10,530
4. Burkina Faso 7,982
5. Nigeria 7,522
Parasite resistance to
artemisinin (currently the
most effective antimalarial)
detected
% OF THE POPULATION AT RISK
NUMBER OF DEATHS ATTRIBUTED TO MALARIA IN 2010
CONTROL MEASURES AGAINST MALARIA
MALARIA
Increased political engagement as well as dramatically enhanced funding have led to a 30% drop in the
number of malaria deaths worldwide from their peak in 2004. Young children are most vulnerable to this
acute febrile illness caused by the plasmodium parasite, which is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes.
The parasite's ability to mutate and become resistant to antimalarial drugs remains a key challenge.
HIV/AIDS
The number of new cases of the human immunodefciency virus (HIV) is thought to have reached its peak in 1997. The number of deaths from
illnesses related to acquired immunodefciency syndrome (AIDS), the fnal stage of HIV infection, subsequently began to decline in the mid-2000s.
Sub-Saharan Africa still has the largest population living with HIV, but greater political engagement over the past decade and the increased
availability of affordable antiretroviral drugs have brought about a signifcant reduction in the number of new infections.
GLOBAL MALARIA DEATHS, 19802010
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
M
illio
n
s o
f d
e
a
th
s
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
0
Global (all ages)
Africa (< 5 years)
Other (< 5 years)
Africa ( 5 years)
Other ( 5 years)
Including precautionary
treatment for children
and pregnant women
Vaccine in development
POLIO END IN SIGHT
Poor governance, security problems and mistrust on the part of conservative Islamic clerics in certain provinces of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria
mean that these are the last three countries in the world where polio is prevalent. The leaders of all three countries have pledged to take further steps
to help eradicate this virus that attacks the body's motor neurons leading to paralysis in the arms or legs.
HIGHEST PREVALENCE OF POLIO
NIGERIA
AFGHANISTAN
PAKISTAN
2003: Immunisations halted by clerics in
northern Nigeria for 11 months, leading to
a fresh outbreak across 16 countries.
February 2013: Nine polio workers killed by
gunmen, Nigeria's frst such attack.
May 2013: Taliban offers its support for
polio immunisation drives, as long as
foreigners are not involved and all
volunteers respect Islamic culture.
Fearing that polio immunisation drives spread
HIV or lead to male sterility, conservative
Islamic clerics have preached against them
for many years. The use of a hepatitis
immunisation drive as a cover to collect DNA
samples from residents of Osama bin Laden's
Abottabad compound in 2011 has heightened
their mistrust, particularly when foreign
workers are involved. During 201213, up to
20 polio workers were assassinated.
CONTROL MEASURES AGAINST POLIO
Salk vaccine an injection that
relies on a dead virus. It costs
circa $3 and is highly effective.
Sabin vaccine oral drops
consisting of a live but weakened
virus. It costs <20, but the virus
can occasionally mutate and
become active as it passes
through a recipient's body. The
Salk vaccine is used as a further
treatment in these cases.
Halting the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria is a key component of the MillenniumDevelopment
Goals, established by the United Nations in 2000 and with a target date of 2015. Though there have been signicant
improvements in rates of HIV/AIDS and malaria infection since then, for the worst-aected countries these diseases
continue to act as a brake on economic development. Polio, meanwhile, could well be eliminated in the next few
years providing that security problems in the last three aected countries can be overcome.
TERRITORIAL CLAIMS
Sources: AIDSinfo; Associated Press; Daily Telegraph; Global Malaria Mapper by Medicines for Malaria Venture &WHO Global Malaria Programme; Malaria Atlas Project; Murray et al.,
'Global malaria mortality between 1980 and 2010: a systematic analysis', The Lancet, vol. 379, no. 9814, 4 February 2012; Time; UNAIDS; World Health Organization.
Insecticide-treated nets
Indoor spraying
Drugs
Vaccination
Contraception
Education programmes
Environmental controls
CONTROL MEASURES

IISS
International relations
Armed forces
Confguration of notional
Scottish defence force
A legal opinion for the UK government by international lawyers
indicated that by far the most likely outcome of Scottish independence is that
the UK would become a continuator state, retaining its memberships and
status under international law, and that Scotland would form a new state,
meaning that its membership of international organisations and institutions,
such as the United Nations and European Union, would not be automatic.
As envisaged by First Minister Alex
Salmond and the SNP, an independent
Scotland would spend 2.5bn a year on
defence (about as much as
Switzerland). Scotlands defence force
would be confgured in much the same
way as set out for Scotland in the 2010
UK Defence Review, but it would no
longer play host to the UKs nuclear
deterrent the four Trident missile
carrying submarines.
Polls on independence
Do you agree that Scotland
should be independent?
April 2013
40
50
60
%
Devolution
referendum
Scottish parliament opens
SNP form majority government
Edinburgh
Agreement
signed
1
8
S
e
p
t 2
0
1
4
re
fe
re
n
d
u
m SNP form
majority
government
Poll tax introduced in Scotland
30
20
10
0
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Male Female
By gender
Yes
No
Dont know
Yes No Dont know
36%
25%
47% 55%
17% 21% 30%
51%
19%
Regional results of
April 2013 poll
Oil and gas Oil & gas
felds
Figure 1
North Sea as % of total revenue
Scotland UK (inc. Scotland)
North Sea oil and gas contributed 40bn to the UK Treasury in
201112. The Scottish National Party (SNP) wants Scotland to
have control of the remaining barrels estimated to be
between 15 and 24 billion arguing that with a geographical
share of North Sea oil, Scotlands public fnances would be
stronger than the rest of the UKs. A geographical share (see
Figure 1) would give Scotland 90% of these revenues, but
dividing revenues by GDP would give Scotland closer to 9%.
Opponents say even with Scotlands geographical share, it
would lose in UK subsidies what it gained in tax income.
Demographics
GDP: 124,676 billion. Population: 5.3 million (2011 census)
Government
SNP (64)
Opposition Parties
Labour (37)
Conservative (15)
Liberal Democrats (5)
Green (2)
Independent (4)
Presiding Offcer
Likely to
vote yes
Composition of parliament
Economy
Total managed expenditure per capita
(2011/12 prices) Scotland and UK
5,000
4,000
19845
Scotland
UK
0910 0405 9900 9495 8990
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
10,000
11,000
12,000
13,000
In 201112, with a geographical
share of North Sea oil and gas revenues,
Scotland generated 9.9%of total UK
revenues while accounting for 9.3%of
total UK spending. But opponents warn
that relying on this revenue is too risky in
the long term: in the last 15 years, even
with a geographical share of oil and gas
revenues, Scotlands net fscal defcit
varied froma lowof -2.6%to a high of
-10.7%, or 14.5bn.
0708 0910 1112 0809 1011
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
m
Now, exc North Sea
Inc. per capita share of North Sea
Inc. geographic share of North Sea oil
Scotlands GDP with and without North
Sea revenues
Percentage of yes votes in polls: historical trend
Aberdeen
Lossiemouth
Orkney
Islands
Shetland
Islands
Inverness
Highlands
& Islands
North East
Mid & Fife
Central
Lothians
South
West
Glasgow
Dundee
Perth
Edinburgh
Glasgow
HMNB Clyde
(Faslane)
RNAD Coulport
Trident
On 18 September 2014, Scotland will vote on whether to
end its 307-year union with the UK. Support for
independence has risen in recent years but remains at
around 30%, with around 50%against it. Scotland could
go it alone, but it seems that the potential costs, at home
and abroad, would be high.
1 airforce base
1 sea base
1 mobile armed brigade
2025 ships
15,000 personnel
5,000 reserves
13.4% 1.4%
IISS
Sources: BBC; Better Together; GERS; Guardian; HM Government; Icas; Institute for Fiscal Studies; Ipsos MORI; Offce for National Statistics; UK government,
Scotland analysis: Devolution and the implications of Scottish independence Annex A: Opinion; Scottish government; Scottish Marine Government Directive;
Scottish National Accounts Project; TNS BMRB; University of Aberdeen/Professor Alex Kemp; Yes Scotland; YouGov.
The United States and its NATO allies face a signicant logistical challenge in redeploying forces and equipment
from land-locked Afghanistan in preparation for the end of ISAFs combat mission in 2014, while still conducting
operations. All three main transit routes pose problems for planners, while the scale of the task is forcing the
major contributors to utilise multiple routes in order to complete their withdrawal on schedule.
PAKISTAN
Islamabad announced in September 2012 that it would
reopen the GLOC (USPakistan tensions had led to a
15-month closure). This is the cheapest and quickest
way of moving equipment by land.
AIR ROUTES TO EUROPE AND THE GULF
Air freight direct from Camp Bastion, Bagram air base, Mazar-e-
Sharif airport or Kabul airport is the most costly redeployment
method, and is reserved for troops and sensitive or expensive items,
with a mixture of air force and commercial transport being used.
COST OF COMMERCIAL TRANSIT
PLANNING
While individual nations have ultimate responsibility for their
withdrawal, NATO has oversight of each countrys plans and fow
rates through Detailed Deployment Plans, and helps to prevent
competitive bidding for transport. To optimise commercial shipping
capacities, planners work backwards in an effort to prevent
build-ups, border crossing choke points and infrastructure
blockages. Police and local security agencies are also involved.
SORTING AND PACKING
Equipment is moved from small bases to larger ones for sorting.
Bagram is one of two hubs that employs nearly 10,000 soldiers and
civilian contractors, who sort and label arrivals in 24-hour shifts.
Vehicles often arrive at pooling locations direct from operations,
from where they are taken to workshops for reftting or dismantling.
SALES AND DISPOSALS
Equipment that is damaged or too diffcult or expensive to return
will be scrapped or sold to allied countries, local authorities or
transit countries. Bases not handed over to Afghan forces are
likely to be levelled. Spoilt ammunition will be destroyed.
GIFTING AND TRANSFERS
NATO must approve all sales and gifts to the Afghans as it
assesses how much support they will need to maintain them.
Aside from the pressure of shrinking defence budgets, concerns
among Allied forces about gifting include: equipment may contain
sensitive technological components; arms could end up in the
wrong hands; and leaving behind more potent weapons might
not be compatible with arms-export guidelines or United Nations
regulations.
CENTRAL ASIAN REPUBLICS
Road and rail transit through the republics using the northern and
southern sections of the Northern Distribution Network is the
most favourable route for large and non-essential goods, though it
is $10,000 more expensive per truck than routes through Pakistan.
UZBEKISTAN
The only functioning railroad from Afghanistan begins in
Mazar-e-Sharif and leads to the river port at Haraitan, from
where equipment can enter Uzbekistan. US envoys have visited
President Islam Karimov in an effort to persuade him to reopen
the Karshi-Khanabad air base, which was closed to US combat
forces in 2005.
KKT AND TURKMENISTAN
The mountainous topography of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is an
obstacle to land transit, though the Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Kazakhstan (KKT) LOC forms one branch of the NDN. The
Kyrgyzstani leadership has threatened not to renew the lease on
the USs Manas air base, meaning it would end in July 2014.
Turkmenistan allows only air-medical transportation to pass
through its territory.
KEY
Land routes
Air routes
Sea routes
RUSSIA
Since June 2012, Russia has allowed non-troop, non-weapon
convoys to pass through its territory and on to Baltic ports.
Russian transportation companies must be used in all cases.
Ulyanovsk-Vostochny Airport will be used as a hub during the
withdrawal: at its peak, several dozen planes will land every day
and around 60 trains a month will depart from the airport.
GEORGIA
In April 2013, Georgia offered NATO the use of the BakuTbilisi
Kars railway line to withdraw troops and equipment. The line
will pass through Azerbaijan and terminate in Turkey, and is
expected to be complete at the end of 2013.
Sources: Aviation Week, Christian Science Monitor, Defense News, en.apa.az, EurasiaNet.org, Guardian, Hansard, isn.ethz.ch, Janes Defence Weekly, nato-russia-council.info,
NBCnews.com, parliament.gov.uk, RUSI, Spiegel Online, Time.
PAKISTAN
TURKMENISTAN
UZBEKISTAN
TAJIKISTAN
AFGHANISTAN
KYRGYZSTAN
KAZAKHSTAN
RUSSIA
GEORGIA
U.A.E.
TURKEY
IRAQ
IRAN
Kandahar
Chaman Crossing
Camp Bastion
Al Minhad
Jebel Ali
Poti
Istanbul
Aktau
Baku
Quetta
Karachi
Kabul
Bagram
Khyber Pass
Karshi Khanabad
Manas
Ulyanovsk-Vostochny
Mazar-
e-Sharif
Hairatan
Termez Railway
line
Incirlik
Troops at start of 2013
Troops at end of 2013
2013 vehicles
2013 ISO containers
250600
1,700
6,000
3,300
4,760
Up to
500
2,700
11,000
9,000
5,200
68,000
34,000
100,000
45,000
Currently
4,000
2013 logistics troop surge
Germany UK USA
ADDITIONAL HEAVY
COMMERCIAL LIFTERS
Antonov An-124s capable of
carrying oversized equipment
ready to charter, but 12+ NATO
nations bidding to hire them.
24
Approx. cost
of moving one
ISO container
to UK by air:
up to $47,000
Approx. cost of moving
one container to UK by
land: up to $19,000
Approx. cost of charter
fight to Germany:
up to $560,000
Pakistani Ground Lines of
Communications (GLOC)
Northern Distribution Network
Northern Branch
Northern Distribution Network
Southern Branch
Northern Distribution Network
KKT Branch
Camp Bastion/Bagram/
Mazar-e-Sharif to Ulyanovsk-
Vostochny
Camp Bastion to Turkey,
Northern Route (avoiding Iran)
Camp Bastion to Turkey,
Southern Route
Camp Bastion to Al Minhad
Karachi to Suez Canal
Jebel Ali to the Suez Canal
Poti to the Mediterranean Sea
Air base
Port
Crossing point
NB: routes shown are indicative only
IISS
MAURITANIA
IVORY COAST
BURKINA FASO
LIBYA
MOROCCO
WESTERN
SAHARA
GHANA
BENIN
NIGERIA
YOBE
BORNO
ADAMAWA
CAMEROON
NIGER MALI
CHAD
ALGERIA
TOGO
Sources: Guardian; IISS; New York Times; Transparency International; United Nations Offce for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA); US Department of State;
US National Counterterrorism Center; World Bank.
IISS
Population Sahel region
Military
operation
Bombing
Car-
bombing
Shooting Kidnapping Death toll
State of
emergency
Peacekeeping
operation
Transparency International
corruption ranking out of
176 countries
Population
experiencing
food insecurity
Number of
refugees
Internally
displaced
persons
9
Though the number of terrorist atacks around the world is generally in decline, they are taking place with
growing frequency in Africa, and West Africa in particular. Islamic extremist groups are taking advantage of
poor and in some areas non-existent governance, as well as porous borders, to launch transnational terror
campaigns. Popular religious and socio-economic grievances, to which the current pan-Sahel food crisis is a
contributing factor, are powerful recruiting tools for extremists.
Chad
12.5m $11bn
165th 2.1m
385,000 90,000
GDP
Algeria
38.5m $208bn
joint 105th
GDP
Niger
17.2m $7bn
113th 2.5m
50,000
GDP
Mauritania
3.8m $4bn
123rd 800,000
80,000*
GDP
Mali
14.9m $10bn
joint 105th 3.5m
353,000
GDP
Nigeria
168.8m $262bn
139th 40,000
GDP
Cameroon
21.7m $25bn
144th 350,000
GDP
*UNOCHA planning fgure, July 2013
1619 January 2013: In Amenas
gas plant raid, 38 civilians and 29
militants killed. Carried out by
Mokhtar Belmokhtars
Signed-in-Blood Battalion.
23 May: Twin car bombs target a
military base in Agadez and the
French-operated Somair uranium
mine in Arlit. MUJAO is
thought to be responsible.
August 2011: Boko Haram carries
out a car-bomb attack on the
United Nations building in Abuja
(its frst attack against a
Western target).
June 2011: A car-bomb attack on
Nigerias police headquarters in
Abuja conducted by Boko Haram
is Nigerias frst-ever suicide
bombing.
25 December 2011: Boko Haram
claims responsibility for a series
of coordinated attacks on
Christmas Day church services.
May 2013: President Goodluck
Jonathan declares state of
emergency in Borno, Yobe and
Adamawa provinces.
December 2012: Ansaru kidnaps a
French engineer.
February 2013: Foreign
construction workers taken
hostage by Ansaru and killed
three weeks later.
February 2013: A French family is
kidnapped in Cameroon by Boko
Haram and held in Nigeria until
April, after a $3m ransom was
allegedly paid.
January 2013: Frances Operation
Serval and the African-led
International Support Mission in
Mali (AFISMA) begin.
July 2013: AFISMA hands over to
the United Nations Multi-
dimensional Integrated
Stabilization Mission in Mali.
July 2013: Boko Haram attacks
a boarding school.
38
26
41
21
6
46
7
Active Islamic extremist groups
Group Area of operations Approximate size
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) 300
AQIM emerged in late 2006/early 2007. It aims to establish an Islamic state in Algeria and to unify regional jihadist movements against the West.
The group operates and recruits throughout the Maghreb, and has been implicated in drugs-traffcking and kidnapping. AQIM is also accused of
establishing terrorist cells in various Western European countries.
Ansar al-Din Hundreds
Led by veteran Tuareg leader Iyad ag Ghaly, this Salafst group hijacked the secular Mouvement National pour la Libration de lAzawad (MNLA)
rebellion in Mali in early 2012. The group is primarily composed of ethnic Tuaregs and aims to impose sharia law across Mali.
Ansaru
A Boko Haram splinter group, which is thought to have the closest ties to AQIM of all the regional extremist groups. It offcially emerged in early
2012 and focuses on carrying out kidnappings and killings of Westerners.
Boko Haram Unconfrmed estimates suggest it has 60 core members, with a further
250300 who can be called upon, as well as a larger support network
These militants from Nigerias impoverished Muslim north have called for the establishment of sharia law and led a revolt against the
government's perceived southern bias and repressive security forces. Although established in 2002, the group only began its violent campaign in
2009. Its near-daily attacks in northern and central Nigeria are usually aimed at domestic targets. In May 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan
declared a state of emergency in the country's northeast, pledging to send up to 8,000 troops in an operation to fush out Boko Haram.
Islamic Movement for Azawad
An offshoot of Ansar al-Din, the group is thought to be made up of Malians alone. It has rejected extremism, calling instead for a political
settlement between Mali's authorities and the northern separatist movement.
Mouvement pour lunicit et le Hundreds
jihad en Afrique de lOuest (MUJAO)
MUJAO is an AQIM splinter group that emerged in mid-2011; it aims to spread Salafst doctrine throughout West Africa, rather than just the
Maghreb and Sahel regions. It teamed up with Ansar al-Din in June 2012 to defeat the MNLA in a battle for the Malian city of Gao, facilitating
Ansar al-Dins rapid takeover of Timbuktu and Kidal. MUJAO also kidnapped three aid workers from the Tindouf Western Saharan refugee camp
in Algeria in October 2011, only releasing them in July 2012 in exchange for Islamists held in Mauritania (and an unconfrmed ransom). It is
thought to have carried out two suicide attacks in Niger in May 2013 on the orders of Mokhtar Belmokhtar.
Signed-in-Blood Battalion (SIBB)
Led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar, this AQIM splinter group formed in late 2012 and gained notoriety for its January 2013 attack on Algeria's In Amenas
gas plant that left 38 civilians and 29 militants dead. Belmokhtar is also thought to have instructed MUJAO to carry out two suicide attacks in
Niger in May.
AQIM
Boko Haram
Ansaru
Signed In Blood
Battalion
MUJAO
Ansar al-Din
Mouvement
National pour la
Libration de lAzawad
(secular)
Islamic Movement
for Azawad
SIBB thought to
have trained
Ansaru operatives
Splinter group
Informal links
Ansar al-Din
hijacked MNLA
rebellion in Mali
in early 2012
SIBB instructed
MUJAO to carry out
May Niger attacks
Tactical
cooperation
Joined forces in
June 2012 battle for
Malian city of Gao
Relationships between the main regional extremist groups
FLORIDA
ALABAMA
MARYLAND
CALIFORNIA
COLORADO
CONNECTICUT
DELAWARE
ARKANSAS
GEORGIA
IDAHO
IOWA
KANSAS
KENTUCKY
LOUISIANA
MAINE
MASSACHUSETTS MICHIGAN MINNESOTA
MISSISSIPPI
MISSOURI
MONTANA
NEBRASKA
NEVADA
NEW HAMPSHIRE
NEW JERSEY
NEW
YORK
NORTH
CAROLINA
NORTH
DAKOTA
OHIO
OKLAHOMA
OREGON
PENNSYLVANIA
RHODE ISLAND
SOUTH
CAROLINA
SOUTH DAKOTA
TENNESSEE
TEXAS
UTAH
VERMONT
VIRGINIA
WEST
VIRGINIA
WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON D.C.
WISCONSIN
WYOMING
INDIANA
ILLINOIS
NEW MEXICO
ARIZONA
ALBERTA
BRITISH COLUMBIA
NEW
BRUNSWICK
NEWFOUNDLAND
PRINCE
EDWARD
IS.
MANITOBA
NORTHERN TERRITORIES
NOVASCOTIA
ONTARIO
QUEBEC
SASKATCHEWAN
YUKON TERRITORY
Declining demand in the United States for oil, and growth in domestic production of oil and gas, are leading to
predictions that it could be energy self-sucient within 1520 years. A self-sucient US would put downward
pressure on global crude prices. It could also diminish the revenues and inuence of the Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries, a predominant force in the global energy market since the 1970s.
Edmonton
Hardisty
Baker
Calgary Regina Winnipeg
Helena Bismark
Pierre
Lincoln
Steele City
Cushing
Topeka
Springfeld
Patoka
Wood River
Austin
Huston
Nederland
Jefferson
City
Oklahoma
City
The US energy market has been transformed by hydraulic
fracturing and horizontal drilling technologies, making shale
oil and gas reserves accessible at commercially attractive
costs. According to the US Energy Information
Administration, shale gas will account for nearly half of the
natural gas produced in the US by 2035.
Crucial to realising this production boom is the ability to
transport the resources from their North American
heartlands for processing and consumption. The extension
of the Keystone pipeline, devised to transport crude oil from
Canada to principally Gulf Coast refneries, has stalled amid
political wrangling and protests.
North American shale oil and gas production boom
Existing Keystone pipeline
Cushing extension
Gulf Coast project
Houston lateral project
Proposed Keystone XL
Current shale plays
Prospective shale plays
Basins
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002
US crude oil production, consumption and imports, 200212 (thousand barrels per day)
Imports
Production
Consumption
Dynamics of energy markets in the Gulf
Total oil production
(thousand barrels per day)
Proven oil reserves
(thousand million barrels)
Natural gas production
(billion cubic metres)
Proven natural gas reserves
(trillion cubic metres)
Impact of sanctions on Iran:
Iran has the fourth-largest proven oil reserves and the second-largest
natural gas reserves in the world. As a result of international
sanctions, its crude oil exports fell by 20% in 2012, to 1.5 million b/d.
The sanctions have prompted Iran to export oil products as opposed
to crude shipments; in February 2012, it announced that it would begin
to trade oil in currencies other than the dollar. The majority of its oil
exports are destined for China, South Korea, Japan and India.
9.22 5.5 29.0 0.9
31.27 101.5 14.5 1.8
31.15 150.0 0.8 3.6 36.8 157.0 160.5 33.6
33.8 97.8 51.7 6.1
19.66 23.9 157.0 25.1
United
Arab
Emirates
Bahrain
Qatar
Kuwait
Oman
Saudi Arabia
Iraq
Iran
0.4916 0.12 14.2 0.2
Sources: BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2013; International Monetary Fund; Qatar National Bank; TransCanada; US Energy Information Administration.
20
40
60
80
100
120
$
UAE
Qatar
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
Oman
Bahrain
2013* 2012* 2011 2010 2009 2008
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) fscal breakeven prices,
in US dollars
(the average sale price needed to balance national budgets)
*Projected fgures 0
10
20
30
40
50
%
2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007
Share of oil and gas revenues as a percentage
of nominal GDP among GCC members
115.3 265.9 102.8 0.3
World oil consumption in 2011, million barrels per day (b/d)
>10m b/d
710m b/d
47m b/d
24m b/d
12m b/d
<1m b/d
United States
Canada
Mexico
Brazil
Saudi Arabia
Iran
Russia
China
Japan
Indonesia
Australia
South
Korea
India
UK
Germany
Italy
France
Spain
Netherlands
US oil consumption stood
at 18.9m b/d in 2011
Chinas oil consumption
stood at 9.9m b/d in 2011
IISS
NEW
ZEALAND
NORWAY
A
U
S
T
R
A
L
I A
C
H
ILE
A
R
G
EN
TINA
UK
Unclaimed
A
U
STRA
LIA
FRANCE
A
R
G
EN
TINA
C
H
ILE
TERRITORIAL CLAIMS
Casey (AUS)
Mirny (RUS)
Orcadas (ARG)
Jang Bogo (ROK)
Vostok (RUS)
Kunlun (PRC)
Dumont dUrville
(FRA)
Ronne
Ice Shelf
Ross Ice Shelf
Berkner
Island
SOUTH
POLE
Adlie Land
Queen Maud land
Palmer Land
Ellsworth Land
M
arie Byrd Land
T
R
A
N
S
A
N
T
A
R
C
T
I
C

M
O
U
N
T
A
I
N
S
Victoria Land
George V Land
W
ilkes Land
Queen Mary Land
Kaiser Wilhelm II Land
Princess Elizabeth Land
M
a c R
obert son Land
Kemp Land
Enderby Land
Coats Land
A
N
T A
R
C
T I C P E N I N S U L A
W
E D
D E L L S E A
S
C
O
T I A
S E A
S
O
U
T
H
E
R
N

O
C
E
A
N
Chile
Argentina
Falkland
Islands
South
Georgia and
South Sandwich
Islands
ANTARCTIC
PENINSULA
INSET MAP
South
Orkney
Islands
A
T
L
A
N
T
I C
O
C
E
A
N
R O S S S E A
G
raham
Land
Sources: the Age; Agence France Presse; the Australian Antarctic Data Centre; the Australian Strategic Policy Institute; Canterbury University (New Zealand); Chosun Ilbo;
the Conversation (Australia); the Global Post; the Guardian; Hindustan Times; IANS Indo-Asian News Service; Lockheed Martin; Lowy Institute; Mercopress; News.com.au;
New Zealand Defence Force; The Scientifc Committee on Antarctic Research; Sydney Morning Herald; UPI; US National Science Foundation; Zee News (India).
165 180 165 150 135
120
105
90
75
60
45
30
15
0
15
30
60
75
60
75
90
105
120
135
150
75
60
Antarctic Circle
Antarctic Circle
Halley (UK)
San Martin (ARG)
Rothero (UK)
Ross Island (PRC)
Scott (NZ)
McMurdo (US)
Zhongshan (PRC)
Davis (AUS)
Mawson (AUS)
Novolazarevskaya (RUS)
Maitri (IND)
Progress (RUS)
Amundsen-Scott (US)
Belgrano II (ARG)
T
R
A
N
S
A
N
T
A
R
C
T
I
C

M
O
U
N
T
A
I
N
S
Union Glacier (CHL)
Troll (NOR)
Undefned
Undefned
Esperanza (ARG)
Carlini (ARG)
Marambio (ARG)
King Sejong (ROK)
Bellinghausen (RUS)
Eduardo Frei (CHL)
Capitn
Arturo Prat (CHL)
Bernardo OHiggins
(CHL)
Julio Escudero (CHL)
Great Wall (PRC)
Palmer (US)
South
Shetland
Islands
ANTARCTIC PENINSULA
The worlds southernmost continent was made a global common by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, which froze all
existing territorial claims below 60 latitude. Military use of the territory is prohibited and a 50-year moratorium
on mining was added in 1998 by the Madrid Protocol. However, heightened interest in mineral wealth now has
countries jockeying for position on earths largest frozen land mass. While the media focuses on a changing
Arctic, nations are using scientic research stations, environmental protection and tourism to build an Antarctic
presence, and increasingly employ military personnel to support scientic activities.
AUSTRALIA (AUS)
In 1936, Australia claimed 42% of Antarctica.
In 2004 it lodged a 2.5msq kmextended continental
shelf submission with the United Nations Commission
on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), but asked
the CLCS to ignore the Antarctic part of the claim out
of respect for the Antarctic Treaty. More recently,
governments have faced criticism at home for ignoring
the continent in defence planning and not investing
enough in new infrastructure. Four years after the
Wilkins Ice Runway was built for $40m near Casey
Station, melting of the airstrip made landing planes
diffcult in the 2012 austral summer.
ARGENTINA (ARG)
Argentinas Antarctic claim overlaps those
of Chile and Britain, and it has rival claims with the UK
to South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and,
most famously, the Falklands, which it calls Las Malvinas.
The country has the longest permanent Antarctic
presence and uses growing military logistics support.
CHILE (CHL)
Chile announced a major Antarctic expansion
programme in January 2012, including the early
construction of new scientifc bases whose locations
will be chosen by the defence ministry. The airstrip at
the Capitn Arturo Prat base on Greenwich Island in
the South Shetlands already able to welcome C-130
Hercules aircraft is to be upgraded.
UNITED KINGDOM (UK)
For the Queens Diamond Jubilee in 2012,
Britain named a 437,000 sq km area of Antarctica
Queen Elizabeth Land. This prompted a formal protest
from Argentina, which also claims the territory. There
was an outcry in October 2007, when the UK proposed
claiming 1m sq km of Antarctic seabed. No claim
was lodged, but the UK reserves the right to do so.
UNITED STATES (US)
The US made no claim to Antarctica in 1959,
but reserved its right to do so, and its Amundsen-Scott
base sits at the South Pole, astride all rival claims. In
2011, Washington signed a $2bn deal with defence frm
Lockheed Martin for Antarctic logistics (taking over from
Raytheon). Its McMurdo base is Antarcticas largest.
RUSSIA (RUS)
Like China, Russia has ruffed feathers by
expressing an overt interest in the regions mineral and
hydrocarbon resources, fuelling fears that the Madrid
Protocol moratorium on mining may be lifted after 2048.
CHINA (PRC)
Having built a third base, Kunlun, in 2009, China
is to build one other permanent and one temporary
base before 2015. Despite the focus on Beijings Arctic
moves, 80% of its polar expeditions are to Antarctica.
FAST FACTS
14m sq kmof Antarctic land mass
1961 The 1959 Antarctic Treaty comes into force
50 Signatories as of mid-2013
29 Countries operate on the continent
120+ Permanent and seasonal camps and bases
SOUTH KOREA (ROK)
A later treaty signatory, Seoul sees involvement
here as increasing its global infuence. Its second base,
the $120mJang Bogo, will be among the largest.
INDIA (IND)
After opening a new scientifc station, Bhatri,
in 2012, New Delhi plans to take possession of a $144m
ice-breaker for polar expeditions by the end of 2016.
NEW ZEALAND (NZ)
When the New Zealand Defence Force left
Afghanistan in April 2013, Antarctica became its
biggest annual mission. It provides military airlift, sea
cargo, engineering and rescue services.
Research station
Planned research station
Selected permanent research stations
FRANCE (FRA)
France, the EU, Australia, the US and NZ have
proposed Ross Sea sanctuaries to stem illegal fshing
in the Southern Ocean. A July 2013 USNZ attempt
failed, with Russia raising doubts about its legality.
NORWAY (NOR)
First to the South Pole when Roald Amundsen
won the race in 1911, Norway is now a minor Antarctic
player. Its 201322 plan is to step up research activities.
IISS
92%
85%
56%
75%
68%
65%
63%
61%
After six months of peace talks between the Colombian government and Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC) it was announced in May 2013 that the two sides had reached an
agreement on the rst itemon the agenda, agrarian reform. Since Colombian security forces have
eliminated some of FARC's key leaders, the leftist rebels have split into smaller, more mobile units
that remain capable of launching atacks against military and civilian targets. In addition to the
rebels' long-established reliance on drug-tracking as a source of revenue, illegal mining is
proving increasingly lucrative.
AMAZONAS
VAUPS
GUAVIARE
META
GUAINA
VICHADA
1,601
1,347
523
394
476
845
696
578
559
559
CAQUET
NARIO
CAUCA
ARAUCA
CASANARE
DISTRITO
CAPITAL DE
BOGOT
ANTIOQUIA
SUCRE
CRDOBA
BOLVAR
CESAR
ATLANTCO
MAGDALENA
CHOC
VALLE DEL CUACA
RISARALDA
TOLIMA
NORTE DE
SANTANDER
Areas most affected by rebel activity
Low-level activity by FARC
Low-level activity by ELN
Areas of coca cultivation
Main drug-traffcking routes
Percentage of settlements
thought to have a presence of
criminal gangs
Number of illegal mines
(gold is their main focus)
High-level activity by FARC
CALDAS
BOYAC
Bogata
PUTUMAYO
LA GUAJIRA
S
A
N
TA
N
D
ER
HUILA
CUNDINAMARCA
85%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
122
138
77
39
73
47
53
32 32 31
84
151
Explosive attacks
on electricity pylons
8,000 FARC
1,500 ELN
1,994 Los Urabeos
1,656 Los Rastrojos
Explosive attacks
on oil pipelines
The FARC and the National Liberation Army
(ELN) have signifcantly increased their attacks
against Colombia's energy and mining
infrastructure in recent years. Such attacks
have proved a useful source of revenue,
attracting attention to their cause and diverting
the government's security resources.
Approximately 83,000 military personnel are
currently deployed to protect Colombia's oil
exploration and mining industries which
account for more than 70% of national exports.
Vulnerable energy and mining infrastructure
Estimated strength of Colombias
main armed groups
IISS
Sources: Colombian Ministry of Mining and Energy; Colombian National Ministry of Defence; Colombian Presidential Programme for Human Rights;
Fundacin Ideas para la Paz; United Nations Offce on Drugs and Crime.
LEBANON
ISRAEL
JORDAN
TOP DONORS OF HUMANITARIAN AID
0
US dollars
200
US
$242,000,000
$814,000,000
$147,000,000
$535,000,000
2013 funding
Total funding since
confict began
$78,000,000
$52,000,000
$890,000,000
$5.2 billion
UK
Kuwait
EU
Total UN
Humanitarian
appeal for
2013 400 600 800 1000
As the Syrian civil war has escalated, countries in the region and beyond have been increasingly drawn into the
conict. Iran, Iraq and Hizbullah, the Lebanese Shia militia organisation, have acted in support of the regime of
President Bashar al-Assad, while the West, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar have given nancial and military aid
to rebel groups. Diplomatic eorts to end the conict have been unsuccessful and the region faces an acute
humanitarian crisis.
Sources: al-Arabiya; al-Jazeera; BBC News; CNN; Department for International Development; European Commission Humanitarian Aid Offce; Financial Times; Guardian; NewYork Times;
ReliefWeb; Syria Needs Analysis Project; Syrian Observatory for Human Rights; UNHCR; UNOCHA; United States Agency for International Development; VOA News; Washington Post.
Aleppo
Idlib
Reyhanli
Homs
Qusair
413,854
161,652
501,057
95,364
625,940
Tripoli
Beirut
ANBAR
PROVI NCE
Al - Hasakah
Ar- Raqqah
Al eppo
I dl i b
Hama
Homs
Dei r Ez- Zor
Ri f - Di mashq
As-Suwayda
Der aa
Q
uinetra
L
a
t a
k
i a
Ta
rtu
s
Hermel
Bekaa Valley
Israeli-
occupied
Golan
Heights
Damascus
Amman
Tel Aviv
SAUDI ARABIA
JORDAN
IRAQ
TURKEY
EGYPT
DIPLOMATIC TIMELINE
March 2011 Popular demonstrations against the Assad regime begin, developing into an armed
rebellion within a month.
September 2011 European Union imposes embargo on oil imports from Syria.
February 2012 China and Russia veto a United Nations resolution calling for Assad to resign.
March 2012 UNArab League special envoy Kof Annan proposes a six-point peace plan to end the
civil war. A ceasefre takes effect in April but fghting resumes in June.
April 2012 The Friends of Syria, an international group that supports the Syrian opposition,
recognises the Syrian National Council as a legitimate representative of the Syrian
people. At a later meeting in Paris, the group backs Annans plan to resolve the crisis.
June 2012 As violent clashes persist, the UN suspends its observer mission. At a meeting
convened by Annan in Geneva, world powers agree on a plan for a transitional
government to be set up to end the confict in Syria. There is no consensus on the
removal of Assad.
August 2012 Annan steps down as special envoy. The UN appoints veteran Algerian diplomat
Lakhdar Brahimi to replace him.
December 2012 Brahimi holds talks with Russian and US diplomats in an effort to push forward the
Geneva communiqu from June. There is no signifcant breakthrough. Russia's
President Vladimir Putin says it cannot support Assad at any price; Deputy Foreign
Minister Bogdanov says the Syrian government is losing control.
May 2013 Russia and the US propose another international conference, dubbed Geneva II, but
the US postpones the conference until July. The EU announces it will not renew an
arms embargo on the Syrian opposition.
IRAQ
CONFLICT IN FIGURES
Number of IDPs
as of 16 April 2013:
4,254,500
Number of refugees
as of 17 July 2013:
1,811,867
Number of deaths
since March 2011:
93,000100,000
MayJune 2013
Hizbullah deploys fghters alongside
Syrian government forces. After a
17-day assault, rebels withdraw from
the city of Qusair, marking a
signifcant victory for the Assad
regime.
March 2013
Clashes between the Syrian army and
rebels at the Yaarubiyeh border
crossing. More than 40 Syrian soldiers
later killed seeking temporary refuge
in Anbar province, Iraq.
January 2013
More than 2,000 people detained by
the Syrian government released for 48
Iranians in a prisoner exchange
brokered by Turkey and Qatar.
JanuaryFebruary 2013
NATO deploys Patriot missile batteries
along Turkeys border with Syria.
May 2013
Bombing in Reyhanli kills 50 people,
blamed on Syrian agents.
June 2013
Training and deployment of Hizbullah
fghters in and around Aleppo.
October 2012
Artillery fre across the
TurkeySyria border.
201113
Russia reportedly sends advanced Yakhont anti-
ship cruise missiles, SA-17 surface-to-air missiles
and short-range Pantsyr-S missile systems to Syria.
In June 2013, Russia announces it will honour its
contract to deliver S-300 air-defence missile systems.
January 2012April 2013
90 Qatari military air cargo fights reportedly
made to Turkey carrying weapons that are then
trucked to Syrian rebels. Arms include AK-47
rifes, rocket-propelled grenades and
ammunition.
December 2012February 2013
Saudi Arabia supplies Croatian
arms, including rocket and grenade
launchers, rifes and machines
guns, to Syrian rebels through Jordan.
March 2013
Hizbullah and Iraqi Shia militias,
reportedly trained in Tehran frst,
deployed to defend Sayyida Zeinab
mosque in southern Damascus, an
important Shia shrine and command-
and-control bunker for Hizbullah.
MayJune 2013
Rockets from Syria hit the Lebanese
town of Hermel, a Hizbullah stronghold.
Government-held areas
Rebel-held areas
Contested areas
Kurdish areas
Refugee camps
Syrian refugees
Hizbullah
June 2013
Clashes in Bekaa Valley between
Syrian rebels and Hizbullah fghters
after Syrian rockets hit Baalbek,
a Hizbullah stronghold.
June 2011June 2013
Fighting in Tripoli between Sunni
militants and Alawite forces
aligned with Assad and Hizbullah.
MarchJune 2013
June 2012
Turkish warplane shot down in
Syrian airspace, killing 2 people.
May 2013
Exchange of fre between Israeli
and Syrian forces across the
ceasefre line in Golan Heights.
JanuaryMay 2013
Israeli air-strikes target Iranian-
supplied Fateh-110 missiles,
Russian SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles
and Syrias main scientifc research
centre near Damascus.
The US, UK and France train Syrian rebels in Jordan
particularly on the use of anti-tank and anti-aircraft
weaponry. As part of a $70m programme, the US trains
Jordanian security forces to detect and secure chemical
weapons. The US leaves F-16 fghter jets and the Patriot
missile-defence system in Jordan after its military exercise
there ends.
IISS
ZIMBABWE
Kunashir
Iturup
Urup
Southern part of
Sakhalin Island
under Japanese
control 190545
Simushir
Matua
Ekarma
Shumshu
Paramushir
Onekotan
Shiashkotan
Rashua
Ketoy
Kharimkotan
Habomai
Shikotan
JAPAN
RUSSIA
Sakhalin
Island
Japan
Tokyo says the four southern Kuril
islands, or Northern Territories of
Habomai, Kunashir, Iturup and Shikotan, were not
included in the 1951 treaty. Experts believe the
Japanese public is unlikely to accept any proposal
by Moscowto return just Habomai and Shikotan.
KURIL ISLANDS
Russia
Russia took control of the Kurils and
southern Sakhalin during the Second
World War, formalising this in a 1951 treaty. It has
spent millions on island infrastructure and is
interested in offshore fshing and potential oil
resources. But the dispute has prevented Moscow
and Tokyo signing a WWII peace treaty and new
talks began in April 2013 on returning some islands.
With nuclear submarines in the area, Moscow
might wish to prevent Tokyo installing sonar or radar
if Kunashir or Iturup were ever returned to Japan.
JAPAN
VIETN
A
M
MALAYSIA
SOUTH CHINA SEA
China
Beijing claims all of the islands and features of the South China Sea on
historical grounds. Its claimincludes the Spratlys (Nansha in Chinese),
where it controls seven islands, and the Paracels (Xisha), which it seized fromVietnamin
1974. Beijings creation of a Paracels prefecture on Woody (Yongxing) Island and its
construction of a military garrison in 2012, followed by tourist cruises in 2013, has
provoked anger in Vietnam. Chinese ships have patrolled the Scarborough Shoal
(Huangyan Islands) since 2012, reportedly shooing away other countries fshing vessels.
Philippines
Manila occupies nine features in the Spratlys and claims more,
based on the islands 1954 discovery by Filipino lawyer and businessman
Toms Cloma, who established a micronation on them. In the Kalayaan island group off
Palawan, a small group of Filipino Marines lives on a deliberately grounded, rusty Second
World War ship defending Ayungin Reef (Second Thomas Shoal). In May 2013, Chinese
fshing vessels were reported erecting rope and metal structures on this reef.
Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur claims 11 Spratlys, including Terumbu Semarang
Barat Kecil (aka Louisa Reef).
Brunei
Brunei claims Malaysian-controlled Louisa Reef and Vietnamese-run
Rifeman Bank (Bai Vung) in the Spratlys.
Taiwan
A diplomatic rowbroke out between Taipei and Manila over the Philippine
coastguards fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fsherman in waters between
Taiwan and the Philippine island of Luzon in May 2013. Beijing unusually backed Taipei.
Vietnam
Hanoi cccupies 26 of the Spratly Islands (or Truong Sa) and claims all of
them, as well as the Paracels (Hoang Sa), including Woody Island (Phu Lam).
Its claimis based on French and Vietnamese imperial history.
Paracel
Islands
CHINA
TAIWAN
PHILIPPINES
BRUNEI
INDONESIA INDONESIA
CAMBODIA
LAOS
Scarborough
Shoal
Rifeman
Bank
Louisa
Reef
Second
Thomas
Shoal Spratly
Islands South China Sea
Noa
6 5 4
Gaza Marine
Disputed area
Tamar
Leviathan
Dalit
Pinnacles
Mari-B
Turkey
Alongside the Turkish Cypriot north,
Ankara opposes gas exploration off
the islands disputed waters. Turkey suspended
energy deals with ENI after the Italian frmsigned
an exploration deal with the Republic of Cyprus.
Israel
With its Mari-B gas feld nearly
depleted, Israel is relying on newer
discoveries in the Noa, Pinnacles, Tamar and
Leviathan felds. In 2011, after a spat with Beirut,
Israel sought to unilaterally defne its border
with Lebanon.
Lebanon
Beirut has abandoned its past claim
that Israels 450bn m Leviathan and
275bn m Tamar felds spilled over into its waters,
but has highlighted an 860 sq kmdisputed maritime
border area.
CYPRUS
TURKEY
SYRIA
Cypriot exploration blocks
awarded
Republic of Cyprus exploration
blocks
EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN
Republic of Cyprus
In Cypruss frst effort to discover
offshore gas resources in late 2008,
US frmNoble Energy reported fnding 141bn to
226bn m in the Aphrodite feld (Block 12). Since
then, exploration licences have been awarded to
Frances Total (Blocks 10 and 11), and a consortium
of Italys ENI and South Koreas Kogas (Blocks 2, 3
and 9).
Claimed by Turkish Cypriot
administration
Turkeys claimed continental
shelf
Israeli blocks Gas feld
LEBANON
JORDAN
ISRAEL
Aphrodite
Field (12)
Mediterranean
Sea
1
8 9
10
7
11
2
3
13
Sources: Asahi Shimbun; BBC; Economist Intelligence Unit; ENI; Euractiv.com; Institution of Civil Engineers; IISS; Los Angeles Times; MoscowTimes; NewYork Times; Oil and Gas Journal;
Oxford Institute for Energy Studies; RIA Novosti; Reuters; Total; Washington Institute
CHINA
INDIA
EGYPT
RUSSIA
Could Asian countries go to war over rocks and
islands some of them uninhabited in the East and
South China Seas? Repeated maritime clashes and
other incidents have made this a frequent question
during 201213. Meanwhile, discoveries of natural
gas in the eastern Mediterranean Sea have
complicated several long-standing rivalries and
security issues. The UN Convention on the Law of
the Sea (UNCLOS) allows countries a 200 nautical-
mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from the base
of their coast. However, EEZs overlap, not all nations
have ratied UNCLOS and mutual consent is needed
to pursue an international legal case.
Whats at stake
Fishing resources
Potential oil and gas
reserves
Control of shipping lanes
Power projection
IISS
EAST CHINA SEA
China
Beijing claims the fve islands and
three rocks that it calls Diaoyu on
historical grounds. The uninhabited islands, 170km
northeast of Taiwan and 410kmwest of Okinawa
island, offer rich fshing and potential oil deposits.
TAIWAN
CHINA
SOUTH
KOREA
JAPAN
Okinawa
Disputed area
East
China
Sea
Pacifc
Ocean
Pacifc
Ocean
Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of
Japan
Liancourt Rocks
(Takeshima/Dokdo
Islands)
NORTH
KOREA
Taiwan
Taiwan makes the same claimas
China, based on the same historical
grounds. In March 2013, it commissioned a new
2,000 tonne coastguard vessel to patrol the islands.
Japan
Tokyo bought three of the islands it
calls Senkaku froma private owner in
2012, provoking anti-Japanese protests in China.
Japan also disputes Seouls claimto the Liancourt
Rocks (Takeshima/Dokdo Islands in Japan/Korea).
South Korea
Former South Korean president Lee
Myung-bak caused outrage in Japan
by paying a fying visit to the Liancourt Rocks in
early 2012. As part of Tokyos attempts to repair
relations with Seoul under the newPark Geun-hye
administration, it withdrewits petition to the
International Court of Justice over the rocks.
Longjing/Asunaro
Tianwaitian/Kashi Duanqiao/Kusunoki
Chunxiao/Shirakaba
Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands
EEZ border claimed
by Japan
EEZ border claimed
by China
Oil and gas felds
(Chinese/Japanese
name
Aurora, CO
20 July 2012
12
58
Fort Hood, TX
5 November 2011
13
30
Killeen, TX
16 October 1991
24
20
Tucson, AZ
8 January 2011
6
13
San Ysidro, CA
18 July 1984
22
19
Columbine High
School, Littleton, CO
20 April 1999
15
24
Virginia Tech,
Blackburg, VA
16 April 2007
33
23
Sandy Hook
Elementary School,
Newtown, CT
14 December 2012
28
2
Including then-
Congresswoman
Gabrielle Giffords
CANADA
MEXICO
Recent eorts in the wake of the December 2012 Newtown school shooting to tighten up gun legislation have
highlighted how much of a partisan issue private gun ownership has become. Regardless of the political hurdles,
however, there are signs of a natural decline over the past generation in the number of households that own a gun.
Reasons cited include: a shrinking rural population; a drop in violent crime that has begun to diminish popular
perceptions that guns are necessary for self-protection; and the abolition of compulsory military service, where
conscripts would previously have been introduced to guns.
APRIL 2013 SENATE BLOCKS GUN-CONTROL LEGISLATION
Although gun-control legislation varies fromstate to state, efforts to tighten up national gun-control laws
in the wake of the Newtown shootings stalled in the Senate in April 2013. Proposals that gun sales that
take place online or at gun shows should be subject to newbackground checks, but not those between
family and friends, did not garner the necessary 60 votes to pass. Opponents argued that such checks
would not stop criminals fromacquiring guns. Aproposed ban on assault weapons and high-capacity
magazines, and measures to criminalise purchases made by proxy were also defeated.
HOMICIDE BY FIREARM RATE PER 100,000 POPULATION, AS CALCULATED BY THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME (UNODC)
FOR 2010 (unless otherwise stated)
NUMBER OF PRIVATELY OWNED FIREARMS, IN MILLIONS
Sources: Business Insider; GunPolicy.org; Guns &Ammo; Mother Jones; National Rife Association; NewYork Times; PewResearch Center; Small Arms Survey; UNODC; US Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
SIGNS OF DECLINE IN US GUN OWNERSHIP
60
50
40
%
o
f re
sp
o
n
d
e
n
ts w
h
o
sa
id
ye
s
30
20
10
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
0
TOTAL NUMBER OF FIREARMS
MANUFACTURED IN THE US, IN MILLIONS
6
7
5
4
M
illio
n
s o
f f
re
a
rm
s p
ro
d
u
c
e
d
3
2
1
1986 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
0
Own a gun
PARTISAN DIVIDE OVER GUNS
Do you agree that tougher gun laws
would cut down on the number of
mass shootings?
16%
79%
31%
29%
50
40
M
illio
n
s o
f f
re
a
rm
s
30
20
10
South
Africa
Yemen Russia Mexico Brazil Pakistan France Germany India China United
States
0
HONDURAS
68.4
JAMAICA
39.4
PUERTO RICO
39.4
VENEZUELA
39.0*
GUATEMALA
34.8
5.95
8
12.75
15.5
17.6 18 19
25
40 40
COLOMBIA
27.1
SOUTH AFRICA
17.0**
DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC
16.3
MEXICO
10.0
UNITED
STATES
3.6
* 2009 fgure, ** 2007 fgure, 2011 fgure
270310
Won by Republicans in
2012 presidential election
Killed
Injured
Democrat voters
Republican voters
Won by Democrats in
2012 presidential election
States with the strictest
gun laws
States with the most
permissive gun laws
WHO OWNS GUNS?
317 million Population of the United
States
270310m Number of privately owned
frearms
61% of all gun owners are white men.
Around 15% of the black population owns a
gun; 11% of Hispanics own a gun
Conducted almost every two years since 1972, the General Social Survey asks:
Do you happen to have in your home (or garage) any guns or revolvers?
THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION
Founded in 1871, the NRA has nearly 4 million members and describes itself as 'America's foremost
defender' of its interpretation of the Second Amendment of the US Bill of Rights, the right of individuals
to bear arms. Its campaign arm, known as the Institute for Legislative Action, is widely considered to be
one of the most powerful lobby groups in Washington. It is very well-funded, providing both a social
network for members and a range of benefts such as legal representation in cases relating to the
Second Amendment. It has strong links with the Republican party.
Selected mass shootings: dead and injured
IISS
CHINA
ESTIMATED RANGES OF NORTH KOREAS MISSILES

SHORT-RANGE
KN-02 100km
Hwasong-5 (Scud-B) 300km
Hwasong-6 (Scud-C) 500km
MEDIUM-RANGE
Nodong 900km
Nodong-2010 variant 1,600km
Musudan (untested) 2,400km
INTER-CONTINENTAL
KN-08 (in development) possibly > 5,500km
NORTH KOREAS THREATS
7 March: Now that the US is set to light a fuse for a
2013 nuclear war, the revolutionary armed forces of
the DPRK will exercise the right to a pre-emptive
nuclear attack to destroy the strongholds of the
aggressors and to defend the supreme interests
of the country.
8 March: The South Korean puppet forces are working
with bloodshot eyes to invade the DPRK in
collusion with the US Therefore, the DPRK
offcially declares that from the moment the
Korean Armistice Agreement is made totally
invalid on March 11 all the said agreements will
be completely nullifed.
11 March: Kim Jong-un told troops once an order is issued,
you should break the waists of the crazy enemies,
totally cut their windpipes and thus clearly show
them what a real war is like.
30 March: Nowthat the revolutionary armed forces of the
DPRK have entered into an actual military
action, the inter-Korean relations have naturally
entered the state of war If the US and the
South Korean puppet group perpetrate a military
provocation for igniting a war against the DPRK
in any area including the fve islands in the West
Sea of Korea or in the area along the Military
Demarcation Line, it will not be limited to a local
war, but develop into an all-out war, a nuclear war.
UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS
UNSCR 2087: condemns missile test; adds four DPRK
offcials and six DPRK entities to travel-
ban and asset-freeze list, all related to
the nuclear and missile programmes.
UNSCR 2094: condemns nuclear test; adds new
fnancial sanctions, including banning
bulk cash transfers, requires states to
inspect cargo if reasonable grounds,
explicitly lists some luxury items, adds
three DPRK offcials and three DPRK
entities related to illicit programmes to
travel-ban and asset-freeze list.
TIMELINE
12 December 2012: DPRK launches an Unha-3 missile to
successfully place the
Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite into space
22 January 2013: UN Security Council (UNSC) passes
Resolution 2087, tightening existing
sanctions
12 February: DPRK conducts third nuclear test,
estimated at 48 kilotonnes
1 March30 April: US and ROK conduct large-scale military
exercise Foal Eagle
7 March: UNSC passes Resolution 2094, adding
new sanctions
1121 March: US and ROK conduct command-post
military exercise Key Resolve
2 April: DPRK announces it will restart 5 MW(e)
reactor at Yongbyon, which was partially
disabled in 2008 under a denuclearisation
agreement
3 April: DPRK reportedly moves two medium-
range Musudan missiles to east coast in
preparation for launch
3 May: DPRK closes Kaesong Industrial Complex
7 May: DPRK reportedly removes two Musudan
missiles from launch site
1820 May: DPRK test fres six short-range rockets
Provocations by the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) over the past year have raised
tensions and reinforced international concerns over its nuclear and missile capabilities. The Kim
Jong-un regime's atempts, meanwhile, to expand its ssile material production with the repair of the
Yongbyon reactor, along with its bellicose rhetoric, further unsetled the region. These actions were
met with global condemnation and two newUnited Nations Security Council sanctions resolutions.
Nuclear test site
Nuclear facility
Missile launch site
Special economic zone
Sinuiju
Hwanggumphyong &
Wihwa Islands Zone
Unha-3 missile launched from
here on 12 December 2012
DPRKs third nuclear
test conducted
here on 12 February 2013
Kaesong Industrial
Complex
Punggye-ri
Yongbyon
Sohae
launch site
Tonghae
launch site
Pyongyang
Nampo
Wonsan
Hamhung
Chongjin
Rason Economic
& Trade Zone
CHINA
SOUTH
KOREA
RUSSIA
IISS
Source: IISS
II
Reasons for hope in the
fght against global disease
VIII
The United States gun
debate rumbles on
XIII
Could Scotland go it
alone?
XVIII
Afghanistan: the long
drawdown
IV
The shifting dynamics of
world oil markets
X
Antarctica: the quiet race
for national infuence
XIV
Islamic extremism in West
Africa
XX
North Korea does it again
VI
Maritime disputes in focus
XII
Colombia: FARC rebels
changing tactics
XVI
Syrias increasingly
internationalised civil war
II | Strategic Geography 2013
Population living with HIV and AIDS-related deaths in 2011, by region NUMBER OF NEW HIV
INFECTIONS, 20012011
Sub-Saharan Africa
South &
Southeast Asia
Oceania
East Asia
Eastern Europe
& Central Asia
Western &
Central Europe
Middle East
& North Africa
North America
Caribbean
Latin America
23,500,000
4,000,000
250,000
830,000
59,000
53,000
1,300
300,000
92,000
900,000
7,000
21,000
230,000
10,000
54,000
1,400,000
1,400,000
Russia* +50%
Middle East &
North Africa >+35%
Georgia >+25%
Kazakhstan >+25%
Swaziland -37%
Zimbabwe -50%
Ghana -66%
Botswana -71%
Malawi -73%
* Figure for Russia is an
estimate, for the period
between 20062011
1,400,000
23,000
1,200,000
Population living with HIV
KEY:
Aids-related deaths
GLOBAL RATES OF HIV INFECTIONS AND AIDS-RELATED DEATHS, IN MILLIONS
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
M
i
l
l
i
o
n
s

o
f

i
n
f
e
c
t
i
o
n
s
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2007 2006
0
2008
People living with HIV
New HIV infections
AIDS-related deaths
1. Swaziland 26%
2. Botswana 23.4%
3. Lesotho 23.3%
4. South Africa 17.3%
5. Zimbabwe 14.9%
HIGHEST RATES OF HIV INFECTION AMONG 1549 YEAR OLDS
CONTROL MEASURES AGAINST HIV/AIDS
Malaria-affected countries
0-20%
20-40%
40-60%
60-80%
80-100%
Countries certifed by the
World Health Organization
as having eliminated malaria
1. Democratic Republic of the Congo 21,168
2. Cte dIvoire 18,156
3. Angola 10,530
4. Burkina Faso 7,982
5. Nigeria 7,522
Parasite resistance to
artemisinin (currently the
most effective antimalarial)
detected
% OF THE POPULATION AT RISK
NUMBER OF DEATHS ATTRIBUTED TO MALARIA IN 2010
CONTROL MEASURES AGAINST MALARIA
MALARIA
Increased political engagement as well as dramatically enhanced funding have led to a 30% drop in the
number of malaria deaths worldwide from their peak in 2004. Young children are most vulnerable to this
acute febrile illness caused by the plasmodium parasite, which is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes.
The parasite's ability to mutate and become resistant to antimalarial drugs remains a key challenge.
HIV/AIDS
The number of new cases of the human immunodefciency virus (HIV) is thought to have reached its peak in 1997. The number of deaths from
illnesses related to acquired immunodefciency syndrome (AIDS), the fnal stage of HIV infection, subsequently began to decline in the mid-2000s.
Sub-Saharan Africa still has the largest population living with HIV, but greater political engagement over the past decade and the increased
availability of affordable antiretroviral drugs have brought about a signifcant reduction in the number of new infections.
GLOBAL MALARIA DEATHS, 19802010
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
M
i
l
l
i
o
n
s

o
f

d
e
a
t
h
s
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
0
Global (all ages)
Africa (< 5 years)
Other (< 5 years)
Africa ( 5 years)
Other ( 5 years)
Including precautionary
treatment for children
and pregnant women
Vaccine in development
POLIO END IN SIGHT
Poor governance, security problems and mistrust on the part of conservative Islamic clerics in certain provinces of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria
mean that these are the last three countries in the world where polio is prevalent. The leaders of all three countries have pledged to take further steps
to help eradicate this virus that attacks the body's motor neurons leading to paralysis in the arms or legs.
HIGHEST PREVALENCE OF POLIO
NIGERIA
A
F
G
H
A
N
I
S
T
A
N
P
A
K
I
S
T
A
N
2003: Immunisations halted by clerics in
northern Nigeria for 11 months, leading to
a fresh outbreak across 16 countries.
February 2013: Nine polio workers killed by
gunmen, Nigeria's frst such attack.
May 2013: Taliban offers its support for
polio immunisation drives, as long as
foreigners are not involved and all
volunteers respect Islamic culture.
Fearing that polio immunisation drives spread
HIV or lead to male sterility, conservative
Islamic clerics have preached against them
for many years. The use of a hepatitis
immunisation drive as a cover to collect DNA
samples from residents of Osama bin Laden's
Abottabad compound in 2011 has heightened
their mistrust, particularly when foreign
workers are involved. During 201213, up to
20 polio workers were assassinated.
CONTROL MEASURES AGAINST POLIO
Salk vaccine an injection that
relies on a dead virus. It costs
circa $3 and is highly effective.
Sabin vaccine oral drops
consisting of a live but weakened
virus. It costs <20, but the virus
can occasionally mutate and
become active as it passes
through a recipient's body. The
Salk vaccine is used as a further
treatment in these cases.
Halting the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria is a key component of the Millennium Development
Goals, established by the United Nations in 2000 and with a target date of 2015. Though there have been signicant
improvements in rates of HIV/AIDS and malaria infection since then, for the worst-aected countries these diseases
continue to act as a brake on economic development. Polio, meanwhile, could well be eliminated in the next few
years providing that security problems in the last three aected countries can be overcome.
TERRITORIAL CLAIMS
Sources: AIDSinfo; Associated Press; Daily Telegraph; Global Malaria Mapper by Medicines for Malaria Venture & WHO Global Malaria Programme; Malaria Atlas Project; Murray et al.,
'Global malaria mortality between 1980 and 2010: a systematic analysis', The Lancet, vol. 379, no. 9814, 4 February 2012; Time; UNAIDS; World Health Organization.
Insecticide-treated nets
Indoor spraying
Drugs
Vaccination
Contraception
Education programmes
Environmental controls
CONTROL MEASURES

IISS
Reasons for hope in the fght against global disease
Strategic Geography 2013 | III
Population living with HIV and AIDS-related deaths in 2011, by region NUMBER OF NEW HIV
INFECTIONS, 20012011
Sub-Saharan Africa
South &
Southeast Asia
Oceania
East Asia
Eastern Europe
& Central Asia
Western &
Central Europe
Middle East
& North Africa
North America
Caribbean
Latin America
23,500,000
4,000,000
250,000
830,000
59,000
53,000
1,300
300,000
92,000
900,000
7,000
21,000
230,000
10,000
54,000
1,400,000
1,400,000
Russia* +50%
Middle East &
North Africa >+35%
Georgia >+25%
Kazakhstan >+25%
Swaziland -37%
Zimbabwe -50%
Ghana -66%
Botswana -71%
Malawi -73%
* Figure for Russia is an
estimate, for the period
between 20062011
1,400,000
23,000
1,200,000
Population living with HIV
KEY:
Aids-related deaths
GLOBAL RATES OF HIV INFECTIONS AND AIDS-RELATED DEATHS, IN MILLIONS
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
M
i
l
l
i
o
n
s

o
f

i
n
f
e
c
t
i
o
n
s
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2007 2006
0
2008
People living with HIV
New HIV infections
AIDS-related deaths
1. Swaziland 26%
2. Botswana 23.4%
3. Lesotho 23.3%
4. South Africa 17.3%
5. Zimbabwe 14.9%
HIGHEST RATES OF HIV INFECTION AMONG 1549 YEAR OLDS
CONTROL MEASURES AGAINST HIV/AIDS
Malaria-affected countries
0-20%
20-40%
40-60%
60-80%
80-100%
Countries certifed by the
World Health Organization
as having eliminated malaria
1. Democratic Republic of the Congo 21,168
2. Cte dIvoire 18,156
3. Angola 10,530
4. Burkina Faso 7,982
5. Nigeria 7,522
Parasite resistance to
artemisinin (currently the
most effective antimalarial)
detected
% OF THE POPULATION AT RISK
NUMBER OF DEATHS ATTRIBUTED TO MALARIA IN 2010
CONTROL MEASURES AGAINST MALARIA
MALARIA
Increased political engagement as well as dramatically enhanced funding have led to a 30% drop in the
number of malaria deaths worldwide from their peak in 2004. Young children are most vulnerable to this
acute febrile illness caused by the plasmodium parasite, which is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes.
The parasite's ability to mutate and become resistant to antimalarial drugs remains a key challenge.
HIV/AIDS
The number of new cases of the human immunodefciency virus (HIV) is thought to have reached its peak in 1997. The number of deaths from
illnesses related to acquired immunodefciency syndrome (AIDS), the fnal stage of HIV infection, subsequently began to decline in the mid-2000s.
Sub-Saharan Africa still has the largest population living with HIV, but greater political engagement over the past decade and the increased
availability of affordable antiretroviral drugs have brought about a signifcant reduction in the number of new infections.
GLOBAL MALARIA DEATHS, 19802010
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
M
i
l
l
i
o
n
s

o
f

d
e
a
t
h
s
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
0
Global (all ages)
Africa (< 5 years)
Other (< 5 years)
Africa ( 5 years)
Other ( 5 years)
Including precautionary
treatment for children
and pregnant women
Vaccine in development
POLIO END IN SIGHT
Poor governance, security problems and mistrust on the part of conservative Islamic clerics in certain provinces of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria
mean that these are the last three countries in the world where polio is prevalent. The leaders of all three countries have pledged to take further steps
to help eradicate this virus that attacks the body's motor neurons leading to paralysis in the arms or legs.
HIGHEST PREVALENCE OF POLIO
NIGERIA
A
F
G
H
A
N
I
S
T
A
N
P
A
K
I
S
T
A
N
2003: Immunisations halted by clerics in
northern Nigeria for 11 months, leading to
a fresh outbreak across 16 countries.
February 2013: Nine polio workers killed by
gunmen, Nigeria's frst such attack.
May 2013: Taliban offers its support for
polio immunisation drives, as long as
foreigners are not involved and all
volunteers respect Islamic culture.
Fearing that polio immunisation drives spread
HIV or lead to male sterility, conservative
Islamic clerics have preached against them
for many years. The use of a hepatitis
immunisation drive as a cover to collect DNA
samples from residents of Osama bin Laden's
Abottabad compound in 2011 has heightened
their mistrust, particularly when foreign
workers are involved. During 201213, up to
20 polio workers were assassinated.
CONTROL MEASURES AGAINST POLIO
Salk vaccine an injection that
relies on a dead virus. It costs
circa $3 and is highly effective.
Sabin vaccine oral drops
consisting of a live but weakened
virus. It costs <20, but the virus
can occasionally mutate and
become active as it passes
through a recipient's body. The
Salk vaccine is used as a further
treatment in these cases.
Halting the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria is a key component of the Millennium Development
Goals, established by the United Nations in 2000 and with a target date of 2015. Though there have been signicant
improvements in rates of HIV/AIDS and malaria infection since then, for the worst-aected countries these diseases
continue to act as a brake on economic development. Polio, meanwhile, could well be eliminated in the next few
years providing that security problems in the last three aected countries can be overcome.
TERRITORIAL CLAIMS
Sources: AIDSinfo; Associated Press; Daily Telegraph; Global Malaria Mapper by Medicines for Malaria Venture & WHO Global Malaria Programme; Malaria Atlas Project; Murray et al.,
'Global malaria mortality between 1980 and 2010: a systematic analysis', The Lancet, vol. 379, no. 9814, 4 February 2012; Time; UNAIDS; World Health Organization.
Insecticide-treated nets
Indoor spraying
Drugs
Vaccination
Contraception
Education programmes
Environmental controls
CONTROL MEASURES

IISS
IV | Strategic Geography 2013
FLORIDA
ALABAMA
MARYLAND
CALIFORNIA
COLORADO
CONNECTICUT
DELAWARE
ARKANSAS
GEORGIA
IDAHO
IOWA
KANSAS
KENTUCKY
LOUISIANA
MAINE
MASSACHUSETTS MICHIGAN
MINNESOTA
MISSISSIPPI
MISSOURI
MONTANA
NEBRASKA
NEVADA
NEW HAMPSHIRE
NEW JERSEY
NEW
YORK
NORTH
CAROLINA
NORTH
DAKOTA
OHIO
OKLAHOMA
OREGON
PENNSYLVANIA
RHODE ISLAND
SOUTH
CAROLINA
SOUTH DAKOTA
TENNESSEE
TEXAS
UTAH
VERMONT
VIRGINIA
WEST
VIRGINIA
WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON D.C.
WISCONSIN
WYOMING
INDIANA
ILLINOIS
NEW MEXICO
ARIZONA
ALBERTA
BRITISH COLUMBIA
NEW
BRUNSWICK
NEWFOUNDLAND
PRINCE
EDWARD
IS.
MANITOBA
NORTHERN TERRITORIES
NOVASCOTIA
ONTARIO
QUEBEC
SASKATCHEWAN
YUKON TERRITORY
Declining demand in the United States for oil, and growth in domestic production of oil and gas, are leading to
predictions that it could be energy self-sucient within 1520 years. A self-sucient US would put downward
pressure on global crude prices. It could also diminish the revenues and inuence of the Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries, a predominant force in the global energy market since the 1970s.
Edmonton
Hardisty
Baker
Calgary Regina
Winnipeg
Helena
Bismark
Pierre
Lincoln
Steele City
Cushing
Topeka
Springfeld
Patoka
Wood River
Austin
Huston
Nederland
Jefferson
City
Oklahoma
City
The US energy market has been transformed by hydraulic
fracturing and horizontal drilling technologies, making shale
oil and gas reserves accessible at commercially attractive
costs. According to the US Energy Information
Administration, shale gas will account for nearly half of the
natural gas produced in the US by 2035.
Crucial to realising this production boom is the ability to
transport the resources from their North American
heartlands for processing and consumption. The extension
of the Keystone pipeline, devised to transport crude oil from
Canada to principally Gulf Coast refneries, has stalled amid
political wrangling and protests.
North American shale oil and gas production boom
Existing Keystone pipeline
Cushing extension
Gulf Coast project
Houston lateral project
Proposed Keystone XL
Current shale plays
Prospective shale plays
Basins
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002
US crude oil production, consumption and imports, 200212 (thousand barrels per day)
Imports
Production
Consumption
Dynamics of energy markets in the Gulf
Total oil production
(thousand barrels per day)
Proven oil reserves
(thousand million barrels)
Natural gas production
(billion cubic metres)
Proven natural gas reserves
(trillion cubic metres)
Impact of sanctions on Iran:
Iran has the fourth-largest proven oil reserves and the second-largest
natural gas reserves in the world. As a result of international
sanctions, its crude oil exports fell by 20% in 2012, to 1.5 million b/d.
The sanctions have prompted Iran to export oil products as opposed
to crude shipments; in February 2012, it announced that it would begin
to trade oil in currencies other than the dollar. The majority of its oil
exports are destined for China, South Korea, Japan and India.
9.22 5.5 29.0 0.9
31.27 101.5 14.5 1.8
31.15 150.0 0.8 3.6
36.8 157.0 160.5 33.6
33.8 97.8 51.7 6.1
19.66 23.9 157.0 25.1
United
Arab
Emirates
Bahrain
Qatar
Kuwait
Oman
Saudi Arabia
Iraq
Iran
0.4916 0.12 14.2 0.2
Sources: BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2013; International Monetary Fund; Qatar National Bank; TransCanada; US Energy Information Administration.
20
40
60
80
100
120
$
UAE
Qatar
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
Oman
Bahrain
2013* 2012* 2011 2010 2009 2008
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) fscal breakeven prices,
in US dollars
(the average sale price needed to balance national budgets)
*Projected fgures
0
10
20
30
40
50
%
2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007
Share of oil and gas revenues as a percentage
of nominal GDP among GCC members
115.3 265.9 102.8 0.3
World oil consumption in 2011, million barrels per day (b/d)
>10m b/d
710m b/d
47m b/d
24m b/d
12m b/d
<1m b/d
United States
Canada
Mexico
Brazil
Saudi Arabia
Iran
Russia
China
Japan
Indonesia
Australia
South
Korea
India
UK
Germany
Italy
France
Spain
Netherlands
US oil consumption stood
at 18.9m b/d in 2011
Chinas oil consumption
stood at 9.9m b/d in 2011
IISS
The shifting dynamics of world oil markets
Strategic Geography 2013 | V
FLORIDA
ALABAMA
MARYLAND
CALIFORNIA
COLORADO
CONNECTICUT
DELAWARE
ARKANSAS
GEORGIA
IDAHO
IOWA
KANSAS
KENTUCKY
LOUISIANA
MAINE
MASSACHUSETTS MICHIGAN
MINNESOTA
MISSISSIPPI
MISSOURI
MONTANA
NEBRASKA
NEVADA
NEW HAMPSHIRE
NEW JERSEY
NEW
YORK
NORTH
CAROLINA
NORTH
DAKOTA
OHIO
OKLAHOMA
OREGON
PENNSYLVANIA
RHODE ISLAND
SOUTH
CAROLINA
SOUTH DAKOTA
TENNESSEE
TEXAS
UTAH
VERMONT
VIRGINIA
WEST
VIRGINIA
WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON D.C.
WISCONSIN
WYOMING
INDIANA
ILLINOIS
NEW MEXICO
ARIZONA
ALBERTA
BRITISH COLUMBIA
NEW
BRUNSWICK
NEWFOUNDLAND
PRINCE
EDWARD
IS.
MANITOBA
NORTHERN TERRITORIES
NOVASCOTIA
ONTARIO
QUEBEC
SASKATCHEWAN
YUKON TERRITORY
Declining demand in the United States for oil, and growth in domestic production of oil and gas, are leading to
predictions that it could be energy self-sucient within 1520 years. A self-sucient US would put downward
pressure on global crude prices. It could also diminish the revenues and inuence of the Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries, a predominant force in the global energy market since the 1970s.
Edmonton
Hardisty
Baker
Calgary Regina
Winnipeg
Helena
Bismark
Pierre
Lincoln
Steele City
Cushing
Topeka
Springfeld
Patoka
Wood River
Austin
Huston
Nederland
Jefferson
City
Oklahoma
City
The US energy market has been transformed by hydraulic
fracturing and horizontal drilling technologies, making shale
oil and gas reserves accessible at commercially attractive
costs. According to the US Energy Information
Administration, shale gas will account for nearly half of the
natural gas produced in the US by 2035.
Crucial to realising this production boom is the ability to
transport the resources from their North American
heartlands for processing and consumption. The extension
of the Keystone pipeline, devised to transport crude oil from
Canada to principally Gulf Coast refneries, has stalled amid
political wrangling and protests.
North American shale oil and gas production boom
Existing Keystone pipeline
Cushing extension
Gulf Coast project
Houston lateral project
Proposed Keystone XL
Current shale plays
Prospective shale plays
Basins
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002
US crude oil production, consumption and imports, 200212 (thousand barrels per day)
Imports
Production
Consumption
Dynamics of energy markets in the Gulf
Total oil production
(thousand barrels per day)
Proven oil reserves
(thousand million barrels)
Natural gas production
(billion cubic metres)
Proven natural gas reserves
(trillion cubic metres)
Impact of sanctions on Iran:
Iran has the fourth-largest proven oil reserves and the second-largest
natural gas reserves in the world. As a result of international
sanctions, its crude oil exports fell by 20% in 2012, to 1.5 million b/d.
The sanctions have prompted Iran to export oil products as opposed
to crude shipments; in February 2012, it announced that it would begin
to trade oil in currencies other than the dollar. The majority of its oil
exports are destined for China, South Korea, Japan and India.
9.22 5.5 29.0 0.9
31.27 101.5 14.5 1.8
31.15 150.0 0.8 3.6
36.8 157.0 160.5 33.6
33.8 97.8 51.7 6.1
19.66 23.9 157.0 25.1
United
Arab
Emirates
Bahrain
Qatar
Kuwait
Oman
Saudi Arabia
Iraq
Iran
0.4916 0.12 14.2 0.2
Sources: BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2013; International Monetary Fund; Qatar National Bank; TransCanada; US Energy Information Administration.
20
40
60
80
100
120
$
UAE
Qatar
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
Oman
Bahrain
2013* 2012* 2011 2010 2009 2008
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) fscal breakeven prices,
in US dollars
(the average sale price needed to balance national budgets)
*Projected fgures
0
10
20
30
40
50
%
2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007
Share of oil and gas revenues as a percentage
of nominal GDP among GCC members
115.3 265.9 102.8 0.3
World oil consumption in 2011, million barrels per day (b/d)
>10m b/d
710m b/d
47m b/d
24m b/d
12m b/d
<1m b/d
United States
Canada
Mexico
Brazil
Saudi Arabia
Iran
Russia
China
Japan
Indonesia
Australia
South
Korea
India
UK
Germany
Italy
France
Spain
Netherlands
US oil consumption stood
at 18.9m b/d in 2011
Chinas oil consumption
stood at 9.9m b/d in 2011
IISS
VI | Strategic Geography 2013
Maritime disputes in focus
ZIMBABWE
Kunashir
Iturup
Urup
Southern part of
Sakhalin Island
under Japanese
control 190545
Simushir
Matua
Ekarma
Shumshu
Paramushir
Onekotan
Shiashkotan
Rashua
Ketoy
Kharimkotan
Habomai
Shikotan
JAPAN
RUSSIA
Sakhalin
Island
Japan
Tokyo says the four southern Kuril
islands, or Northern Territories of
Habomai, Kunashir, Iturup and Shikotan, were not
included in the 1951 treaty. Experts believe the
Japanese public is unlikely to accept any proposal
by Moscow to return just Habomai and Shikotan.
KURIL ISLANDS
Russia
Russia took control of the Kurils and
southern Sakhalin during the Second
World War, formalising this in a 1951 treaty. It has
spent millions on island infrastructure and is
interested in offshore fshing and potential oil
resources. But the dispute has prevented Moscow
and Tokyo signing a WWII peace treaty and new
talks began in April 2013 on returning some islands.
With nuclear submarines in the area, Moscow
might wish to prevent Tokyo installing sonar or radar
if Kunashir or Iturup were ever returned to Japan.
JAPAN
V
I
E
T
N
A
M
M
A
LA
Y
S
I
A
SOUTH CHINA SEA
China
Beijing claims all of the islands and features of the South China Sea on
historical grounds. Its claim includes the Spratlys (Nansha in Chinese),
where it controls seven islands, and the Paracels (Xisha), which it seized from Vietnam in
1974. Beijings creation of a Paracels prefecture on Woody (Yongxing) Island and its
construction of a military garrison in 2012, followed by tourist cruises in 2013, has
provoked anger in Vietnam. Chinese ships have patrolled the Scarborough Shoal
(Huangyan Islands) since 2012, reportedly shooing away other countries fshing vessels.
Philippines
Manila occupies nine features in the Spratlys and claims more,
based on the islands 1954 discovery by Filipino lawyer and businessman
Toms Cloma, who established a micronation on them. In the Kalayaan island group off
Palawan, a small group of Filipino Marines lives on a deliberately grounded, rusty Second
World War ship defending Ayungin Reef (Second Thomas Shoal). In May 2013, Chinese
fshing vessels were reported erecting rope and metal structures on this reef.
Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur claims 11 Spratlys, including Terumbu Semarang
Barat Kecil (aka Louisa Reef).
Brunei
Brunei claims Malaysian-controlled Louisa Reef and Vietnamese-run
Rifeman Bank (Bai Vung) in the Spratlys.
Taiwan
A diplomatic row broke out between Taipei and Manila over the Philippine
coastguards fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fsherman in waters between
Taiwan and the Philippine island of Luzon in May 2013. Beijing unusually backed Taipei.
Vietnam
Hanoi cccupies 26 of the Spratly Islands (or Truong Sa) and claims all of
them, as well as the Paracels (Hoang Sa), including Woody Island (Phu Lam).
Its claim is based on French and Vietnamese imperial history.
Paracel
Islands
CHINA
TAIWAN
PHILIPPINES
BRUNEI
INDONESIA INDONESIA
C
A
M
B
O
D
I
A
L
A
O
S
Scarborough
Shoal
Rifeman
Bank
Louisa
Reef
Second
Thomas
Shoal
Spratly
Islands
S
o
u
t
h

C
h
i
n
a

S
e
a
Noa
6 5 4
Gaza Marine
Disputed area
Tamar
Leviathan
Dalit
Pinnacles
Mari-B
Turkey
Alongside the Turkish Cypriot north,
Ankara opposes gas exploration off
the islands disputed waters. Turkey suspended
energy deals with ENI after the Italian frm signed
an exploration deal with the Republic of Cyprus.
Israel
With its Mari-B gas feld nearly
depleted, Israel is relying on newer
discoveries in the Noa, Pinnacles, Tamar and
Leviathan felds. In 2011, after a spat with Beirut,
Israel sought to unilaterally defne its border
with Lebanon.
Lebanon
Beirut has abandoned its past claim
that Israels 450bn m Leviathan and
275bn m Tamar felds spilled over into its waters,
but has highlighted an 860 sq km disputed maritime
border area.
CYPRUS
TURKEY
SYRIA
Cypriot exploration blocks
awarded
Republic of Cyprus exploration
blocks
EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN
Republic of Cyprus
In Cypruss frst effort to discover
offshore gas resources in late 2008,
US frm Noble Energy reported fnding 141bn to
226bn m in the Aphrodite feld (Block 12). Since
then, exploration licences have been awarded to
Frances Total (Blocks 10 and 11), and a consortium
of Italys ENI and South Koreas Kogas (Blocks 2, 3
and 9).
Claimed by Turkish Cypriot
administration
Turkeys claimed continental
shelf
Israeli blocks Gas feld
LEBANON
JORDAN
ISRAEL
Aphrodite
Field (12)
Mediterranean
Sea
1
8 9
10
7
11
2
3
13
Sources: Asahi Shimbun; BBC; Economist Intelligence Unit; ENI; Euractiv.com; Institution of Civil Engineers; IISS; Los Angeles Times; Moscow Times; New York Times; Oil and Gas Journal;
Oxford Institute for Energy Studies; RIA Novosti; Reuters; Total; Washington Institute
CHINA
INDIA
EGYPT
RUSSIA
Could Asian countries go to war over rocks and
islands some of them uninhabited in the East and
South China Seas? Repeated maritime clashes and
other incidents have made this a frequent question
during 201213. Meanwhile, discoveries of natural
gas in the eastern Mediterranean Sea have
complicated several long-standing rivalries and
security issues. The UN Convention on the Law of
the Sea (UNCLOS) allows countries a 200 nautical-
mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from the base
of their coast. However, EEZs overlap, not all nations
have ratied UNCLOS and mutual consent is needed
to pursue an international legal case.
Whats at stake
Fishing resources
Potential oil and gas
reserves
Control of shipping lanes
Power projection
IISS
EAST CHINA SEA
China
Beijing claims the fve islands and
three rocks that it calls Diaoyu on
historical grounds. The uninhabited islands, 170km
northeast of Taiwan and 410km west of Okinawa
island, offer rich fshing and potential oil deposits.
TAIWAN
CHINA
SOUTH
KOREA
JAPAN
Okinawa
Disputed area
East
China
Sea
Pacifc
Ocean
Pacifc
Ocean
Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of
Japan
Liancourt Rocks
(Takeshima/Dokdo
Islands)
NORTH
KOREA
Taiwan
Taiwan makes the same claim as
China, based on the same historical
grounds. In March 2013, it commissioned a new
2,000 tonne coastguard vessel to patrol the islands.
Japan
Tokyo bought three of the islands it
calls Senkaku from a private owner in
2012, provoking anti-Japanese protests in China.
Japan also disputes Seouls claim to the Liancourt
Rocks (Takeshima/Dokdo Islands in Japan/Korea).
South Korea
Former South Korean president Lee
Myung-bak caused outrage in Japan
by paying a fying visit to the Liancourt Rocks in
early 2012. As part of Tokyos attempts to repair
relations with Seoul under the new Park Geun-hye
administration, it withdrew its petition to the
International Court of Justice over the rocks.
Longjing/Asunaro
Tianwaitian/Kashi
Duanqiao/Kusunoki
Chunxiao/Shirakaba
Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands
EEZ border claimed
by Japan
EEZ border claimed
by China
Oil and gas felds
(Chinese/Japanese
name
Strategic Geography 2013 | VII
ZIMBABWE
Kunashir
Iturup
Urup
Southern part of
Sakhalin Island
under Japanese
control 190545
Simushir
Matua
Ekarma
Shumshu
Paramushir
Onekotan
Shiashkotan
Rashua
Ketoy
Kharimkotan
Habomai
Shikotan
JAPAN
RUSSIA
Sakhalin
Island
Japan
Tokyo says the four southern Kuril
islands, or Northern Territories of
Habomai, Kunashir, Iturup and Shikotan, were not
included in the 1951 treaty. Experts believe the
Japanese public is unlikely to accept any proposal
by Moscow to return just Habomai and Shikotan.
KURIL ISLANDS
Russia
Russia took control of the Kurils and
southern Sakhalin during the Second
World War, formalising this in a 1951 treaty. It has
spent millions on island infrastructure and is
interested in offshore fshing and potential oil
resources. But the dispute has prevented Moscow
and Tokyo signing a WWII peace treaty and new
talks began in April 2013 on returning some islands.
With nuclear submarines in the area, Moscow
might wish to prevent Tokyo installing sonar or radar
if Kunashir or Iturup were ever returned to Japan.
JAPAN
V
I
E
T
N
A
M
M
A
LA
Y
S
I
A
SOUTH CHINA SEA
China
Beijing claims all of the islands and features of the South China Sea on
historical grounds. Its claim includes the Spratlys (Nansha in Chinese),
where it controls seven islands, and the Paracels (Xisha), which it seized from Vietnam in
1974. Beijings creation of a Paracels prefecture on Woody (Yongxing) Island and its
construction of a military garrison in 2012, followed by tourist cruises in 2013, has
provoked anger in Vietnam. Chinese ships have patrolled the Scarborough Shoal
(Huangyan Islands) since 2012, reportedly shooing away other countries fshing vessels.
Philippines
Manila occupies nine features in the Spratlys and claims more,
based on the islands 1954 discovery by Filipino lawyer and businessman
Toms Cloma, who established a micronation on them. In the Kalayaan island group off
Palawan, a small group of Filipino Marines lives on a deliberately grounded, rusty Second
World War ship defending Ayungin Reef (Second Thomas Shoal). In May 2013, Chinese
fshing vessels were reported erecting rope and metal structures on this reef.
Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur claims 11 Spratlys, including Terumbu Semarang
Barat Kecil (aka Louisa Reef).
Brunei
Brunei claims Malaysian-controlled Louisa Reef and Vietnamese-run
Rifeman Bank (Bai Vung) in the Spratlys.
Taiwan
A diplomatic row broke out between Taipei and Manila over the Philippine
coastguards fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fsherman in waters between
Taiwan and the Philippine island of Luzon in May 2013. Beijing unusually backed Taipei.
Vietnam
Hanoi cccupies 26 of the Spratly Islands (or Truong Sa) and claims all of
them, as well as the Paracels (Hoang Sa), including Woody Island (Phu Lam).
Its claim is based on French and Vietnamese imperial history.
Paracel
Islands
CHINA
TAIWAN
PHILIPPINES
BRUNEI
INDONESIA INDONESIA
C
A
M
B
O
D
I
A
L
A
O
S
Scarborough
Shoal
Rifeman
Bank
Louisa
Reef
Second
Thomas
Shoal
Spratly
Islands
S
o
u
t
h

C
h
i
n
a

S
e
a
Noa
6 5 4
Gaza Marine
Disputed area
Tamar
Leviathan
Dalit
Pinnacles
Mari-B
Turkey
Alongside the Turkish Cypriot north,
Ankara opposes gas exploration off
the islands disputed waters. Turkey suspended
energy deals with ENI after the Italian frm signed
an exploration deal with the Republic of Cyprus.
Israel
With its Mari-B gas feld nearly
depleted, Israel is relying on newer
discoveries in the Noa, Pinnacles, Tamar and
Leviathan felds. In 2011, after a spat with Beirut,
Israel sought to unilaterally defne its border
with Lebanon.
Lebanon
Beirut has abandoned its past claim
that Israels 450bn m Leviathan and
275bn m Tamar felds spilled over into its waters,
but has highlighted an 860 sq km disputed maritime
border area.
CYPRUS
TURKEY
SYRIA
Cypriot exploration blocks
awarded
Republic of Cyprus exploration
blocks
EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN
Republic of Cyprus
In Cypruss frst effort to discover
offshore gas resources in late 2008,
US frm Noble Energy reported fnding 141bn to
226bn m in the Aphrodite feld (Block 12). Since
then, exploration licences have been awarded to
Frances Total (Blocks 10 and 11), and a consortium
of Italys ENI and South Koreas Kogas (Blocks 2, 3
and 9).
Claimed by Turkish Cypriot
administration
Turkeys claimed continental
shelf
Israeli blocks Gas feld
LEBANON
JORDAN
ISRAEL
Aphrodite
Field (12)
Mediterranean
Sea
1
8 9
10
7
11
2
3
13
Sources: Asahi Shimbun; BBC; Economist Intelligence Unit; ENI; Euractiv.com; Institution of Civil Engineers; IISS; Los Angeles Times; Moscow Times; New York Times; Oil and Gas Journal;
Oxford Institute for Energy Studies; RIA Novosti; Reuters; Total; Washington Institute
CHINA
INDIA
EGYPT
RUSSIA
Could Asian countries go to war over rocks and
islands some of them uninhabited in the East and
South China Seas? Repeated maritime clashes and
other incidents have made this a frequent question
during 201213. Meanwhile, discoveries of natural
gas in the eastern Mediterranean Sea have
complicated several long-standing rivalries and
security issues. The UN Convention on the Law of
the Sea (UNCLOS) allows countries a 200 nautical-
mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from the base
of their coast. However, EEZs overlap, not all nations
have ratied UNCLOS and mutual consent is needed
to pursue an international legal case.
Whats at stake
Fishing resources
Potential oil and gas
reserves
Control of shipping lanes
Power projection
IISS
EAST CHINA SEA
China
Beijing claims the fve islands and
three rocks that it calls Diaoyu on
historical grounds. The uninhabited islands, 170km
northeast of Taiwan and 410km west of Okinawa
island, offer rich fshing and potential oil deposits.
TAIWAN
CHINA
SOUTH
KOREA
JAPAN
Okinawa
Disputed area
East
China
Sea
Pacifc
Ocean
Pacifc
Ocean
Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of
Japan
Liancourt Rocks
(Takeshima/Dokdo
Islands)
NORTH
KOREA
Taiwan
Taiwan makes the same claim as
China, based on the same historical
grounds. In March 2013, it commissioned a new
2,000 tonne coastguard vessel to patrol the islands.
Japan
Tokyo bought three of the islands it
calls Senkaku from a private owner in
2012, provoking anti-Japanese protests in China.
Japan also disputes Seouls claim to the Liancourt
Rocks (Takeshima/Dokdo Islands in Japan/Korea).
South Korea
Former South Korean president Lee
Myung-bak caused outrage in Japan
by paying a fying visit to the Liancourt Rocks in
early 2012. As part of Tokyos attempts to repair
relations with Seoul under the new Park Geun-hye
administration, it withdrew its petition to the
International Court of Justice over the rocks.
Longjing/Asunaro
Tianwaitian/Kashi
Duanqiao/Kusunoki
Chunxiao/Shirakaba
Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands
EEZ border claimed
by Japan
EEZ border claimed
by China
Oil and gas felds
(Chinese/Japanese
name
VIII | Strategic Geography 2013
Aurora, CO
20 July 2012
12
58
Fort Hood, TX
5 November 2011
13
30
Killeen, TX
16 October 1991
24
20
Tucson, AZ
8 January 2011
6
13
San Ysidro, CA
18 July 1984
22
19
Columbine High
School, Littleton, CO
20 April 1999
15
24
Virginia Tech,
Blackburg, VA
16 April 2007
33
23
Sandy Hook
Elementary School,
Newtown, CT
14 December 2012
28
2
Including then-
Congresswoman
Gabrielle Giffords
CANADA
MEXICO
Recent eorts in the wake of the December 2012 Newtown school shooting to tighten up gun legislation have
highlighted how much of a partisan issue private gun ownership has become. Regardless of the political hurdles,
however, there are signs of a natural decline over the past generation in the number of households that own a gun.
Reasons cited include: a shrinking rural population; a drop in violent crime that has begun to diminish popular
perceptions that guns are necessary for self-protection; and the abolition of compulsory military service, where
conscripts would previously have been introduced to guns.
APRIL 2013 SENATE BLOCKS GUN-CONTROL LEGISLATION
Although gun-control legislation varies from state to state, efforts to tighten up national gun-control laws
in the wake of the Newtown shootings stalled in the Senate in April 2013. Proposals that gun sales that
take place online or at gun shows should be subject to new background checks, but not those between
family and friends, did not garner the necessary 60 votes to pass. Opponents argued that such checks
would not stop criminals from acquiring guns. A proposed ban on assault weapons and high-capacity
magazines, and measures to criminalise purchases made by proxy were also defeated.
HOMICIDE BY FIREARM RATE PER 100,000 POPULATION, AS CALCULATED BY THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME (UNODC)
FOR 2010 (unless otherwise stated)
NUMBER OF PRIVATELY OWNED FIREARMS, IN MILLIONS
Sources: Business Insider; GunPolicy.org; Guns & Ammo; Mother Jones; National Rife Association; New York Times; Pew Research Center; Small Arms Survey; UNODC; US Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
SIGNS OF DECLINE IN US GUN OWNERSHIP
60
50
40
%

o
f

r
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s

w
h
o

s
a
i
d

y
e
s

30
20
10
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
0
TOTAL NUMBER OF FIREARMS
MANUFACTURED IN THE US, IN MILLIONS
6
7
5
4
M
i
l
l
i
o
n
s

o
f

f
r
e
a
r
m
s

p
r
o
d
u
c
e
d
3
2
1
1986 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
0
Own a gun
PARTISAN DIVIDE OVER GUNS
Do you agree that tougher gun laws
would cut down on the number of
mass shootings?
16%
79%
31%
29%
50
40
M
i
l
l
i
o
n
s

o
f

f
r
e
a
r
m
s
30
20
10
South
Africa
Yemen Russia Mexico Brazil Pakistan France Germany India China United
States
0
HONDURAS
68.4
JAMAICA
39.4
PUERTO RICO
39.4
VENEZUELA
39.0*
GUATEMALA
34.8
5.95
8
12.75
15.5
17.6
18
19
25
40 40
COLOMBIA
27.1
SOUTH AFRICA
17.0**
DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC
16.3
MEXICO
10.0
UNITED
STATES
3.6
* 2009 fgure, ** 2007 fgure, 2011 fgure
270310
Won by Republicans in
2012 presidential election
Killed
Injured
Democrat voters
Republican voters
Won by Democrats in
2012 presidential election
States with the strictest
gun laws
States with the most
permissive gun laws
WHO OWNS GUNS?
317 million Population of the United
States
270310m Number of privately owned
frearms
61% of all gun owners are white men.
Around 15% of the black population owns a
gun; 11% of Hispanics own a gun
Conducted almost every two years since 1972, the General Social Survey asks:
Do you happen to have in your home (or garage) any guns or revolvers?
THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION
Founded in 1871, the NRA has nearly 4 million members and describes itself as 'America's foremost
defender' of its interpretation of the Second Amendment of the US Bill of Rights, the right of individuals
to bear arms. Its campaign arm, known as the Institute for Legislative Action, is widely considered to be
one of the most powerful lobby groups in Washington. It is very well-funded, providing both a social
network for members and a range of benefts such as legal representation in cases relating to the
Second Amendment. It has strong links with the Republican party.
Selected mass shootings: dead and injured
IISS
The United States gun debate rumbles on
Strategic Geography 2013 | IX
Aurora, CO
20 July 2012
12
58
Fort Hood, TX
5 November 2011
13
30
Killeen, TX
16 October 1991
24
20
Tucson, AZ
8 January 2011
6
13
San Ysidro, CA
18 July 1984
22
19
Columbine High
School, Littleton, CO
20 April 1999
15
24
Virginia Tech,
Blackburg, VA
16 April 2007
33
23
Sandy Hook
Elementary School,
Newtown, CT
14 December 2012
28
2
Including then-
Congresswoman
Gabrielle Giffords
CANADA
MEXICO
Recent eorts in the wake of the December 2012 Newtown school shooting to tighten up gun legislation have
highlighted how much of a partisan issue private gun ownership has become. Regardless of the political hurdles,
however, there are signs of a natural decline over the past generation in the number of households that own a gun.
Reasons cited include: a shrinking rural population; a drop in violent crime that has begun to diminish popular
perceptions that guns are necessary for self-protection; and the abolition of compulsory military service, where
conscripts would previously have been introduced to guns.
APRIL 2013 SENATE BLOCKS GUN-CONTROL LEGISLATION
Although gun-control legislation varies from state to state, efforts to tighten up national gun-control laws
in the wake of the Newtown shootings stalled in the Senate in April 2013. Proposals that gun sales that
take place online or at gun shows should be subject to new background checks, but not those between
family and friends, did not garner the necessary 60 votes to pass. Opponents argued that such checks
would not stop criminals from acquiring guns. A proposed ban on assault weapons and high-capacity
magazines, and measures to criminalise purchases made by proxy were also defeated.
HOMICIDE BY FIREARM RATE PER 100,000 POPULATION, AS CALCULATED BY THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME (UNODC)
FOR 2010 (unless otherwise stated)
NUMBER OF PRIVATELY OWNED FIREARMS, IN MILLIONS
Sources: Business Insider; GunPolicy.org; Guns & Ammo; Mother Jones; National Rife Association; New York Times; Pew Research Center; Small Arms Survey; UNODC; US Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
SIGNS OF DECLINE IN US GUN OWNERSHIP
60
50
40
%

o
f

r
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s

w
h
o

s
a
i
d

y
e
s

30
20
10
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
0
TOTAL NUMBER OF FIREARMS
MANUFACTURED IN THE US, IN MILLIONS
6
7
5
4
M
i
l
l
i
o
n
s

o
f

f
r
e
a
r
m
s

p
r
o
d
u
c
e
d
3
2
1
1986 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
0
Own a gun
PARTISAN DIVIDE OVER GUNS
Do you agree that tougher gun laws
would cut down on the number of
mass shootings?
16%
79%
31%
29%
50
40
M
i
l
l
i
o
n
s

o
f

f
r
e
a
r
m
s
30
20
10
South
Africa
Yemen Russia Mexico Brazil Pakistan France Germany India China United
States
0
HONDURAS
68.4
JAMAICA
39.4
PUERTO RICO
39.4
VENEZUELA
39.0*
GUATEMALA
34.8
5.95
8
12.75
15.5
17.6
18
19
25
40 40
COLOMBIA
27.1
SOUTH AFRICA
17.0**
DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC
16.3
MEXICO
10.0
UNITED
STATES
3.6
* 2009 fgure, ** 2007 fgure, 2011 fgure
270310
Won by Republicans in
2012 presidential election
Killed
Injured
Democrat voters
Republican voters
Won by Democrats in
2012 presidential election
States with the strictest
gun laws
States with the most
permissive gun laws
WHO OWNS GUNS?
317 million Population of the United
States
270310m Number of privately owned
frearms
61% of all gun owners are white men.
Around 15% of the black population owns a
gun; 11% of Hispanics own a gun
Conducted almost every two years since 1972, the General Social Survey asks:
Do you happen to have in your home (or garage) any guns or revolvers?
THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION
Founded in 1871, the NRA has nearly 4 million members and describes itself as 'America's foremost
defender' of its interpretation of the Second Amendment of the US Bill of Rights, the right of individuals
to bear arms. Its campaign arm, known as the Institute for Legislative Action, is widely considered to be
one of the most powerful lobby groups in Washington. It is very well-funded, providing both a social
network for members and a range of benefts such as legal representation in cases relating to the
Second Amendment. It has strong links with the Republican party.
Selected mass shootings: dead and injured
IISS
X | Strategic Geography 2013
Antarctica: the quiet race for national infuence
N
EW
Z
E
A
LAND
NORW
A
Y
A
U
S
T
R
A
L
I
A
C
H
I
L
E
A
R
G
E
N
T
I
N
A



























U
K
Unclaimed
A
U
S
T
R
A
L
I
A
F
R
A
N
C
E
A
R
G
E
N
T
I
N
A
C
H
I
L
E
TERRITORIAL CLAIMS
Casey (AUS)
Mirny (RUS)
Orcadas (ARG)
Jang Bogo (ROK)
Vostok (RUS)
Kunlun (PRC)
Dumont dUrville
(FRA)
Ronne
Ice Shelf
Ross Ice Shelf
Berkner
Island
SOUTH
POLE
A
d

l
i
e

L
a
n
d
Queen M
aud la
n
d
Palm
e
r L
a
n
d
Ellsworth Land
M
a
r
i
e

B
y
r
d

L
a
n
d
T
R
A
N
S
A
N
T
A
R
C
T
I
C

M
O
U
N
T
A
I
N
S
V
i
c
t
o
r
i
a

L
a
n
d
G
e
o
rg
e
V
L
a
n
d
W
i
l
k
e
s


L
a
n
d
Q
u
een M
ary Land
Kaiser Wilhelm II Land
Princess Elizabeth
L
a
n
d
M
a
c

R
o
b
e
r
t
s
o
n

L
a
n
d
K
em
p Land
E
n
d
e
rb
y
L
a
n
d
C
o
a
t
s

L
a
n
d
A
N
T
A
R
C
T
I
C

P
E
N
I
N
S
U
L
A
W
E
D
D
E
L
L


S
E
A
S
C
O
T
I
A

S
E
A
S
O
U
T
H
E
R
N

O
C
E
A
N
Chile
Argentina
Falkland
Islands
South
Georgia and
South Sandwich
Islands
ANTARCTIC
PENINSULA
INSET MAP
South
Orkney
Islands
A
T
L
A
N
T
I
C

O
C
E
A
N
R
O
S
S

S
E
A
G
r
a
h
a
m

L
a
n
d
Sources: the Age; Agence France Presse; the Australian Antarctic Data Centre; the Australian Strategic Policy Institute; Canterbury University (New Zealand); Chosun Ilbo;
the Conversation (Australia); the Global Post; the Guardian; Hindustan Times; IANS Indo-Asian News Service; Lockheed Martin; Lowy Institute; Mercopress; News.com.au;
New Zealand Defence Force; The Scientifc Committee on Antarctic Research; Sydney Morning Herald; UPI; US National Science Foundation; Zee News (India).
165 180 165 150 135
120
105
90
75
60
45
30
15
0
15
30
6
0

7
5

60
75
90
105
120
135
150
7
5

6
0

A
n
t
a
r
c
t
ic
C
ir
c
le
Antarctic Circle
Halley (UK)
San Martin (ARG)
Rothero (UK)
Ross Island (PRC)
Scott (NZ)
McMurdo (US)
Zhongshan (PRC)
Davis (AUS)
Mawson (AUS)
Novolazarevskaya (RUS)
Maitri (IND)
Progress (RUS)
Amundsen-Scott (US)
Belgrano II (ARG)
T
R
A
N
S
A
N
T
A
R
C
T
I
C

M
O
U
N
T
A
I
N
S
Union Glacier (CHL)
Troll (NOR)
Undefned
Undefn
e
d
Esperanza (ARG)
Carlini (ARG)
Marambio (ARG)
King Sejong (ROK)
Bellinghausen (RUS)
Eduardo Frei (CHL)
Capitn
Arturo Prat (CHL)
Bernardo OHiggins
(CHL)
Julio Escudero (CHL)
Great Wall (PRC)
Palmer (US)
South
Shetland
Islands
ANTARCTIC PENINSULA
The worlds southernmost continent was made a global common by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, which froze all
existing territorial claims below 60 latitude. Military use of the territory is prohibited and a 50-year moratorium
on mining was added in 1998 by the Madrid Protocol. However, heightened interest in mineral wealth now has
countries jockeying for position on earths largest frozen land mass. While the media focuses on a changing
Arctic, nations are using scientic research stations, environmental protection and tourism to build an Antarctic
presence, and increasingly employ military personnel to support scientic activities.
AUSTRALIA (AUS)
In 1936, Australia claimed 42% of Antarctica.
In 2004 it lodged a 2.5m sq km extended continental
shelf submission with the United Nations Commission
on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), but asked
the CLCS to ignore the Antarctic part of the claim out
of respect for the Antarctic Treaty. More recently,
governments have faced criticism at home for ignoring
the continent in defence planning and not investing
enough in new infrastructure. Four years after the
Wilkins Ice Runway was built for $40m near Casey
Station, melting of the airstrip made landing planes
diffcult in the 2012 austral summer.
ARGENTINA (ARG)
Argentinas Antarctic claim overlaps those
of Chile and Britain, and it has rival claims with the UK
to South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and,
most famously, the Falklands, which it calls Las Malvinas.
The country has the longest permanent Antarctic
presence and uses growing military logistics support.
CHILE (CHL)
Chile announced a major Antarctic expansion
programme in January 2012, including the early
construction of new scientifc bases whose locations
will be chosen by the defence ministry. The airstrip at
the Capitn Arturo Prat base on Greenwich Island in
the South Shetlands already able to welcome C-130
Hercules aircraft is to be upgraded.
UNITED KINGDOM (UK)
For the Queens Diamond Jubilee in 2012,
Britain named a 437,000 sq km area of Antarctica
Queen Elizabeth Land. This prompted a formal protest
from Argentina, which also claims the territory. There
was an outcry in October 2007, when the UK proposed
claiming 1m sq km of Antarctic seabed. No claim
was lodged, but the UK reserves the right to do so.
UNITED STATES (US)
The US made no claim to Antarctica in 1959,
but reserved its right to do so, and its Amundsen-Scott
base sits at the South Pole, astride all rival claims. In
2011, Washington signed a $2bn deal with defence frm
Lockheed Martin for Antarctic logistics (taking over from
Raytheon). Its McMurdo base is Antarcticas largest.
RUSSIA (RUS)
Like China, Russia has ruffed feathers by
expressing an overt interest in the regions mineral and
hydrocarbon resources, fuelling fears that the Madrid
Protocol moratorium on mining may be lifted after 2048.
CHINA (PRC)
Having built a third base, Kunlun, in 2009, China
is to build one other permanent and one temporary
base before 2015. Despite the focus on Beijings Arctic
moves, 80% of its polar expeditions are to Antarctica.
FAST FACTS
14m sq km of Antarctic land mass
1961 The 1959 Antarctic Treaty comes into force
50 Signatories as of mid-2013
29 Countries operate on the continent
120+ Permanent and seasonal camps and bases
SOUTH KOREA (ROK)
A later treaty signatory, Seoul sees involvement
here as increasing its global infuence. Its second base,
the $120m Jang Bogo, will be among the largest.
INDIA (IND)
After opening a new scientifc station, Bhatri,
in 2012, New Delhi plans to take possession of a $144m
ice-breaker for polar expeditions by the end of 2016.
NEW ZEALAND (NZ)
When the New Zealand Defence Force left
Afghanistan in April 2013, Antarctica became its
biggest annual mission. It provides military airlift, sea
cargo, engineering and rescue services.
Research station
Planned research station
Selected permanent research stations
FRANCE (FRA)
France, the EU, Australia, the US and NZ have
proposed Ross Sea sanctuaries to stem illegal fshing
in the Southern Ocean. A July 2013 USNZ attempt
failed, with Russia raising doubts about its legality.
NORWAY (NOR)
First to the South Pole when Roald Amundsen
won the race in 1911, Norway is now a minor Antarctic
player. Its 201322 plan is to step up research activities.
IISS
Strategic Geography 2013 | XI
N
EW
Z
E
A
LAND
NORW
A
Y
A
U
S
T
R
A
L
I
A
C
H
I
L
E
A
R
G
E
N
T
I
N
A



























U
K
Unclaimed
A
U
S
T
R
A
L
I
A
F
R
A
N
C
E
A
R
G
E
N
T
I
N
A
C
H
I
L
E
TERRITORIAL CLAIMS
Casey (AUS)
Mirny (RUS)
Orcadas (ARG)
Jang Bogo (ROK)
Vostok (RUS)
Kunlun (PRC)
Dumont dUrville
(FRA)
Ronne
Ice Shelf
Ross Ice Shelf
Berkner
Island
SOUTH
POLE
A
d

l
i
e

L
a
n
d
Queen M
aud la
n
d
Palm
e
r L
a
n
d
Ellsworth Land
M
a
r
i
e

B
y
r
d

L
a
n
d
T
R
A
N
S
A
N
T
A
R
C
T
I
C

M
O
U
N
T
A
I
N
S
V
i
c
t
o
r
i
a

L
a
n
d
G
e
o
rg
e
V
L
a
n
d
W
i
l
k
e
s


L
a
n
d
Q
u
een M
ary Land
Kaiser Wilhelm II Land
Princess Elizabeth
L
a
n
d
M
a
c

R
o
b
e
r
t
s
o
n

L
a
n
d
K
em
p Land
E
n
d
e
rb
y
L
a
n
d
C
o
a
t
s

L
a
n
d
A
N
T
A
R
C
T
I
C

P
E
N
I
N
S
U
L
A
W
E
D
D
E
L
L


S
E
A
S
C
O
T
I
A

S
E
A
S
O
U
T
H
E
R
N

O
C
E
A
N
Chile
Argentina
Falkland
Islands
South
Georgia and
South Sandwich
Islands
ANTARCTIC
PENINSULA
INSET MAP
South
Orkney
Islands
A
T
L
A
N
T
I
C

O
C
E
A
N
R
O
S
S

S
E
A
G
r
a
h
a
m

L
a
n
d
Sources: the Age; Agence France Presse; the Australian Antarctic Data Centre; the Australian Strategic Policy Institute; Canterbury University (New Zealand); Chosun Ilbo;
the Conversation (Australia); the Global Post; the Guardian; Hindustan Times; IANS Indo-Asian News Service; Lockheed Martin; Lowy Institute; Mercopress; News.com.au;
New Zealand Defence Force; The Scientifc Committee on Antarctic Research; Sydney Morning Herald; UPI; US National Science Foundation; Zee News (India).
165 180 165 150 135
120
105
90
75
60
45
30
15
0
15
30
6
0

7
5

60
75
90
105
120
135
150
7
5

6
0

A
n
t
a
r
c
t
ic
C
ir
c
le
Antarctic Circle
Halley (UK)
San Martin (ARG)
Rothero (UK)
Ross Island (PRC)
Scott (NZ)
McMurdo (US)
Zhongshan (PRC)
Davis (AUS)
Mawson (AUS)
Novolazarevskaya (RUS)
Maitri (IND)
Progress (RUS)
Amundsen-Scott (US)
Belgrano II (ARG)
T
R
A
N
S
A
N
T
A
R
C
T
I
C

M
O
U
N
T
A
I
N
S
Union Glacier (CHL)
Troll (NOR)
Undefned
Undefn
e
d
Esperanza (ARG)
Carlini (ARG)
Marambio (ARG)
King Sejong (ROK)
Bellinghausen (RUS)
Eduardo Frei (CHL)
Capitn
Arturo Prat (CHL)
Bernardo OHiggins
(CHL)
Julio Escudero (CHL)
Great Wall (PRC)
Palmer (US)
South
Shetland
Islands
ANTARCTIC PENINSULA
The worlds southernmost continent was made a global common by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, which froze all
existing territorial claims below 60 latitude. Military use of the territory is prohibited and a 50-year moratorium
on mining was added in 1998 by the Madrid Protocol. However, heightened interest in mineral wealth now has
countries jockeying for position on earths largest frozen land mass. While the media focuses on a changing
Arctic, nations are using scientic research stations, environmental protection and tourism to build an Antarctic
presence, and increasingly employ military personnel to support scientic activities.
AUSTRALIA (AUS)
In 1936, Australia claimed 42% of Antarctica.
In 2004 it lodged a 2.5m sq km extended continental
shelf submission with the United Nations Commission
on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), but asked
the CLCS to ignore the Antarctic part of the claim out
of respect for the Antarctic Treaty. More recently,
governments have faced criticism at home for ignoring
the continent in defence planning and not investing
enough in new infrastructure. Four years after the
Wilkins Ice Runway was built for $40m near Casey
Station, melting of the airstrip made landing planes
diffcult in the 2012 austral summer.
ARGENTINA (ARG)
Argentinas Antarctic claim overlaps those
of Chile and Britain, and it has rival claims with the UK
to South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and,
most famously, the Falklands, which it calls Las Malvinas.
The country has the longest permanent Antarctic
presence and uses growing military logistics support.
CHILE (CHL)
Chile announced a major Antarctic expansion
programme in January 2012, including the early
construction of new scientifc bases whose locations
will be chosen by the defence ministry. The airstrip at
the Capitn Arturo Prat base on Greenwich Island in
the South Shetlands already able to welcome C-130
Hercules aircraft is to be upgraded.
UNITED KINGDOM (UK)
For the Queens Diamond Jubilee in 2012,
Britain named a 437,000 sq km area of Antarctica
Queen Elizabeth Land. This prompted a formal protest
from Argentina, which also claims the territory. There
was an outcry in October 2007, when the UK proposed
claiming 1m sq km of Antarctic seabed. No claim
was lodged, but the UK reserves the right to do so.
UNITED STATES (US)
The US made no claim to Antarctica in 1959,
but reserved its right to do so, and its Amundsen-Scott
base sits at the South Pole, astride all rival claims. In
2011, Washington signed a $2bn deal with defence frm
Lockheed Martin for Antarctic logistics (taking over from
Raytheon). Its McMurdo base is Antarcticas largest.
RUSSIA (RUS)
Like China, Russia has ruffed feathers by
expressing an overt interest in the regions mineral and
hydrocarbon resources, fuelling fears that the Madrid
Protocol moratorium on mining may be lifted after 2048.
CHINA (PRC)
Having built a third base, Kunlun, in 2009, China
is to build one other permanent and one temporary
base before 2015. Despite the focus on Beijings Arctic
moves, 80% of its polar expeditions are to Antarctica.
FAST FACTS
14m sq km of Antarctic land mass
1961 The 1959 Antarctic Treaty comes into force
50 Signatories as of mid-2013
29 Countries operate on the continent
120+ Permanent and seasonal camps and bases
SOUTH KOREA (ROK)
A later treaty signatory, Seoul sees involvement
here as increasing its global infuence. Its second base,
the $120m Jang Bogo, will be among the largest.
INDIA (IND)
After opening a new scientifc station, Bhatri,
in 2012, New Delhi plans to take possession of a $144m
ice-breaker for polar expeditions by the end of 2016.
NEW ZEALAND (NZ)
When the New Zealand Defence Force left
Afghanistan in April 2013, Antarctica became its
biggest annual mission. It provides military airlift, sea
cargo, engineering and rescue services.
Research station
Planned research station
Selected permanent research stations
FRANCE (FRA)
France, the EU, Australia, the US and NZ have
proposed Ross Sea sanctuaries to stem illegal fshing
in the Southern Ocean. A July 2013 USNZ attempt
failed, with Russia raising doubts about its legality.
NORWAY (NOR)
First to the South Pole when Roald Amundsen
won the race in 1911, Norway is now a minor Antarctic
player. Its 201322 plan is to step up research activities.
IISS
XII | Strategic Geography 2013
Colombia: FARC rebels changing tactics
92%
85%
56%
75%
68%
65%
63%
61%
After six months of peace talks between the Colombian government and Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC) it was announced in May 2013 that the two sides had reached an
agreement on the rst item on the agenda, agrarian reform. Since Colombian security forces have
eliminated some of FARC's key leaders, the leftist rebels have split into smaller, more mobile units
that remain capable of launching atacks against military and civilian targets. In addition to the
rebels' long-established reliance on drug-tracking as a source of revenue, illegal mining is
proving increasingly lucrative.
AMAZONAS
VAUPS
GUAVIARE
META
GUAINA
VICHADA
1,601
1,347
523
394
476
845
696
578
559
559
CAQUET
NARIO
CAUCA
ARAUCA
CASANARE
DISTRITO
CAPITAL DE
BOGOT
ANTIOQUIA
SUCRE
CRDOBA
BOLVAR
CESAR
ATLANTCO
MAGDALENA
CHOC
VALLE DEL CUACA
RISARALDA
TOLIMA
NORTE DE
SANTANDER
Areas most affected by rebel activity
Low-level activity by FARC
Low-level activity by ELN
Areas of coca cultivation
Main drug-traffcking routes
Percentage of settlements
thought to have a presence of
criminal gangs
Number of illegal mines
(gold is their main focus)
High-level activity by FARC
C
A
L
D
A
S
BOYAC
Bogata
PUTUMAYO
L
A
G
U
A
J
I
R
A
S
A
N
T
A
N
D
E
R
H
U
I
L
A
C
U
N
D
I
N
A
M
A
R
C
A
85%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
122
138
77
39
73
47
53
32 32 31
84
151
Explosive attacks
on electricity pylons
8,000 FARC
1,500 ELN
1,994 Los Urabeos
1,656 Los Rastrojos
Explosive attacks
on oil pipelines
The FARC and the National Liberation Army
(ELN) have signifcantly increased their attacks
against Colombia's energy and mining
infrastructure in recent years. Such attacks
have proved a useful source of revenue,
attracting attention to their cause and diverting
the government's security resources.
Approximately 83,000 military personnel are
currently deployed to protect Colombia's oil
exploration and mining industries which
account for more than 70% of national exports.
Vulnerable energy and mining infrastructure
Estimated strength of Colombias
main armed groups
IISS
Sources: Colombian Ministry of Mining and Energy; Colombian National Ministry of Defence; Colombian Presidential Programme for Human Rights;
Fundacin Ideas para la Paz; United Nations Offce on Drugs and Crime.
Strategic Geography 2013 | XIII
Could Scotland go it alone?
International relations
Armed forces
Confguration of notional
Scottish defence force
A legal opinion for the UK government by international lawyers
indicated that by far the most likely outcome of Scottish independence is that
the UK would become a continuator state, retaining its memberships and
status under international law, and that Scotland would form a new state,
meaning that its membership of international organisations and institutions,
such as the United Nations and European Union, would not be automatic.
As envisaged by First Minister Alex
Salmond and the SNP, an independent
Scotland would spend 2.5bn a year on
defence (about as much as
Switzerland). Scotlands defence force
would be confgured in much the same
way as set out for Scotland in the 2010
UK Defence Review, but it would no
longer play host to the UKs nuclear
deterrent the four Trident missile
carrying submarines.
Polls on independence
Do you agree that Scotland
should be independent?
April 2013
40
50
60
%
Devolution
referendum
Scottish parliament opens
SNP form majority government
Edinburgh
Agreement
signed
1
8

S
e
p
t

2
0
1
4

r
e
f
e
r
e
n
d
u
m
SNP form
majority
government
Poll tax introduced in Scotland
30
20
10
0
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Male Female
By gender
Yes
No
Dont know
Yes No Dont know
36%
25%
47% 55%
17% 21%
30%
51%
19%
Regional results of
April 2013 poll
Oil and gas
Oil & gas
felds
Figure 1
North Sea as % of total revenue
Scotland UK (inc. Scotland)
North Sea oil and gas contributed 40bn to the UK Treasury in
201112. The Scottish National Party (SNP) wants Scotland to
have control of the remaining barrels estimated to be
between 15 and 24 billion arguing that with a geographical
share of North Sea oil, Scotlands public fnances would be
stronger than the rest of the UKs. A geographical share (see
Figure 1) would give Scotland 90% of these revenues, but
dividing revenues by GDP would give Scotland closer to 9%.
Opponents say even with Scotlands geographical share, it
would lose in UK subsidies what it gained in tax income.
Demographics
GDP: 124,676 billion. Population: 5.3 million (2011 census)
Government
SNP (64)
Opposition Parties
Labour (37)
Conservative (15)
Liberal Democrats (5)
Green (2)
Independent (4)
Presiding Offcer
Likely to
vote yes
Composition of parliament
Economy
Total managed expenditure per capita
(2011/12 prices) Scotland and UK
5,000
4,000
19845
Scotland
UK
0910 0405 9900 9495 8990
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
10,000
11,000
12,000
13,000
In 201112, with a geographical
share of North Sea oil and gas revenues,
Scotland generated 9.9% of total UK
revenues while accounting for 9.3% of
total UK spending. But opponents warn
that relying on this revenue is too risky in
the long term: in the last 15 years, even
with a geographical share of oil and gas
revenues, Scotlands net fscal defcit
varied from a low of -2.6% to a high of
-10.7%, or 14.5bn.
0708 0910 1112 0809 1011
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
m
Now, exc North Sea
Inc. per capita share of North Sea
Inc. geographic share of North Sea oil
Scotlands GDP with and without North
Sea revenues
Percentage of yes votes in polls: historical trend
Aberdeen
Lossiemouth
Orkney
Islands
Shetland
Islands
Inverness
Highlands
& Islands
North East
Mid & Fife
Central
Lothians
South
West
Glasgow
Dundee
Perth
Edinburgh
Glasgow
HMNB Clyde
(Faslane)
RNAD Coulport
Trident
On 18 September 2014, Scotland will vote on whether to
end its 307-year union with the UK. Support for
independence has risen in recent years but remains at
around 30%, with around 50% against it. Scotland could
go it alone, but it seems that the potential costs, at home
and abroad, would be high.
1 airforce base
1 sea base
1 mobile armed brigade
2025 ships
15,000 personnel
5,000 reserves
13.4% 1.4%
IISS
Sources: BBC; Better Together; GERS; Guardian; HM Government; Icas; Institute for Fiscal Studies; Ipsos MORI; Offce for National Statistics; UK government,
Scotland analysis: Devolution and the implications of Scottish independence Annex A: Opinion; Scottish government; Scottish Marine Government Directive;
Scottish National Accounts Project; TNS BMRB; University of Aberdeen/Professor Alex Kemp; Yes Scotland; YouGov.