Stratfor: Maritime Dispute between Nicaragua and Columbia

I've been very negligent with the blog posts as of late and I don't know when I will be able to resume anything that resembles a normal blogging schedule.  But here is a video detailing a dispute between Nicaragua and Columbia concerning the continental shelf and the potential for access to the resources in the disputed area; and the United States is involved via energy company Noble Energy.  This is something that we should remember, that often times nations act via private means to achieve their interests.

Now, in this instance it would be tough to say that Noble Energy is acting on behalf of the United States government, since Columbia is a very close ally to the United States in South America.  That being said, the fact that a United States company may have gotten itself involved, admittedly inadvertently, means that that the government will be keeping an eye on the situation. The likelihood of this dispute every becoming anything more than a legal dispute, with likely UN or US arbitration, is very low.