Europe’s Power Struggle

It is difficult to understand why people are so concerned about Russia's growing influence when it seems like the U.S and Europe can do as they please. Who made them the sole judges of truth and decency. Russia has not nor is asking for anything unreasonable. The U.K however is. The United Kingdom asks Russia to extradite it's citizens when they give asylum to known terrorists from all over the world. Russia does not feel like it has to bow down to western authority nor should it. It is unreasonable for the West to expect concessions from Russia when the same courtesy is not extended. It seems to me that the Europeans are just cowards afraid of their own growing muslim populations and are willing to do anything to appease them when they should just deport every single one of them. Russia, however is willing to stand up for itself and for that I give them respect

It is difficult to understand why people are so concerned about Russia's growing influence when it seems like the U.S and Europe can do as they please. Who made them the sole judges of truth and decency. Russia has not nor is asking for anything unreasonable. The U.K however is. The United Kingdom asks Russia to extradite it's citizens when they give asylum to known terrorists from all over the world. Russia does not feel like it has to bow down to western authority nor should it. It is unreasonable for the West to expect concessions from Russia when the same courtesy is not extended. It seems to me that the Europeans are just cowards afraid of their own growing muslim populations and are willing to do anything to appease them when they should just deport every single one of them. Russia, however is willing to stand up for itself and for that I give them respect

The real threat is less the risk of Russia manipulating its supplies of export energy than the economic power Russia is beginning to realize as a result of high oil prices. It has been observed that one of the driving forces behind the "fall" of Russia was the precipitous decline in oil prices in the 1980"s. At $80 Russia has foreign exchange like they have never had it before.

It has been suggested that Russia's fall from power resulted in part from the precipitous drop in oil prices in the 80's -- prior to the fall in oil prices Russia obtained over half its foreign exchange from oil exports. The worm has turned. The threat to the world is less that Russia may manipulate its supplies of oil than that it will use the economic power it has acquired with $70+ oil to resume its grand plans to dominate the world. InIn that

Hello

Russia under Putin is moving towards a dictatorship, where killing opponents, black mail countries in business is a norm. The dictators do not have any interest in democracy as has been shown by Putin. When he sends bombers against UK, Norway and USA, it will impact these nations sooner or later. As democracies learn to understand that Putin is a bellicose bully, they will know how to handle Russia. If not, we may yetwiness a new world war.

Under Putin, Russia has become a country that is more like the old Soviet Union. This bellicose attempt to blackmail countries in the business, dropping bombs in Georgia, sending bombers provocatively against UK, Norway and the USA has shown how an evil dictator tends to move beyond a threshold level at ease. Eventually, democracies will learn that the bellicose dictators are not your friends to deal with.

Russians are not stupid. They understand that the energy relationship is mutual. And as far as dependence on Russian energy resources goes, would Eurpoe be better of depending on Arab oil and gas?

Agree with both commentors. Businees has always been wise enough to reject black-white politically-oriented pictures, moreover so manipulated. As a proof record foreign investments in the Russian economy.

Is this an another attempt of neocons to spread their ???view??? that gas to Europe should go only under control of US and Brittan.

Interesting to see when American politics reshuffling European leaders a pack of cards are trying to tear the market from the source of raw material.

No matter what you do, what kind of Sarkos you will manage to find on the bottom of European politic, business is business, and business is wise enough these day do not to believe to any of your mantras about some kind of ???energy threat??? from Russia.

And besides, despite of all of your poor attempts to turn Europeans into obedient herd, when it will become cold in their houses they will send you to hell with all of your stupid conjurations about the truly ???democratic??? gas. Ha-ha-ha.

This article with its saber-rattling tenor misses the mark. Russia is not threatening anyone. Europe has long recognized the need not to be dependent on one energy source. Diversification is the logical consequence of this recognition, and it is not directed against Russia, which is fabulously rich in natural resources and continues to be both an important energy supplier and benefactor from European investments. The European Union does not want to divide the world according to the US black-and-white model, into the good guys and the bad guys.