ABSTRACT
The authority of national governments of all countries has been weakened as a result of globalization. Among the main agents who determine the form and pace of globalization in a given country, large corporations, that is their managements, play a leading role. These corporations can change the relations between nation states and the world economy. The transformation of the Russian state structures and society fostered the weakening of state authority to a high degree. The natural gas company Gazprom plays an exceptional role in the Russian economy but also on the international level. The chapter begins with a brief portrait of the company, including organization and ownership structure. Most prognoses for Western Europe's natural gas demand are overoptimistic. A tendency towards a growing discrepancy between general economic development and energy demand in Western Europe can be observed: economic growth no longer leads to an equivalent rise in energy consumption.
