As the US and Europe push forward with continued sanctions against Russia, an intriguing economic battle is taking shape, one which will have significant repercussions for years to come. While Washington and Brussels seek to divide Russia from Europe in order to maintain Western hegemony – blocking Eurasian integration by definition – Moscow is counteracting this strategy by leveraging its economic power in the form of energy exports and cooperation....
Pipelines: Nord Stream with Royal Dutch Shell and Altai with China, not to mention the New Silk Road that will link the Pacific with the Atlantic through Eurasia.
This is looking to become the Asian Century and there's not much the US can do to counteract it as the natural path for development at this point in time.
New Eastern Outlook
The US-Russia Economic War Heats Up
New Eastern Outlook
The US-Russia Economic War Heats Up
1 comment:
Tom,
Apparently this explains the sudden thaw in relations with Iran. Europe needs gas, and it'll get it whatever it takes, even if it means breaking up Nato. Without energy, you don't have an economy; and of course the US needs a strong Europe to keep its own economy, and the wider global economy, from going down the toilet.
The US (Brzezinski and the "grand chessboard" school of international politics, of which Obama is a supporter but many in his administration are not, as opposed to the neoconservatives) proposal is to target Russia, which makes an Iranian pipeline the only conceivable energy solution, thereby stopping Eurasian integration for the near future, subordinating Europe to US power, cementing Nato's role (and the Pentagon economy), and possibly even checking China's burgeoning "silk roads".
The neoconservatives, on the other hand, believe US power is capable of dominating the Middle East by attacking Iran, bringing Iraq and Syria to heel, increasing Israel's power, as well as halting Russia's pipelines to Europe and doing something, probably military, about China. What Europe will do about gas is left unanswered. The neocons may be thinking about using the staggering quantities of liquefied natural gas now being developed, but the infrastructure is not in place to transport it and in all likelihood will probably not be enough for Europe's economy.
Say what you like about Brzezinski, but at least his proposal is achievable and has a realpolitik rationality. The neoconservatives, as ever, are criminally insane and pose an extraordinary danger to the world.
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