Baku Views, a blog on economic commentary and opinion from Azerbaijan reflects on a recent NY Times column by Paul Krugman on Europe's dependence on Russian energy, noting that with its gas pipelines projects, Azerbaijan could be an alternative, reliable energy partner [1]. In its opening notes, the blog also compares America's sliding approval rating of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney with Azerbaijan giving up on expecting Armenia to withdraw forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh region.