The NYT reported last week:

"BP, the huge British oil company, on Friday rejected demands from a group of Russian billionaires to fire the head of the lucrative TNK-BP natural gas venture, deepening a conf
rontation between shareholders as the country’s biggest state-controlled oil companies seek a stake in the venture. "

As the developed countries need more and more resources, you can expect more problems like this. What is the way to avoid this? Ensuring an alignment of interests and deal structuring. Easier said than done but we will review some basics this week.