This, for instance, which happened a week or so ago in Turkey. Blamed on the Kurdish terrorist organization, PKK. But there are lots of dark rumblings around Baku (and Tiblisi, I'm told) that it might have been someone else. Someone who doesn't like the oil pipeline that connects Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey.

I wonder who that could be?

The proposed gas pipeline, to trace along the same Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan route, might eventually go south, to Israel. And west, to Greece. And into Europe bypassing Russia entirely.

Which won't make them too happy.

This is the original nest of conspiracies -- the Caucases, Central Asia -- and so it's tempting to see the world like people here do: as a dark clash between powerful forces. You know, like a spy novel.

But spy novels have to start somewhere. And a lot of them start here.