Friday, January 13, 2006

A Canuckistani Take on the Gas War

Ukraine gas dispute -- Has Putin gone nuts?

It’s more useful to assume that the answer is ‘no.’ Then we must ask what is Russia doing with its gas price policy demands and supply cut-off to Ukraine?

It’s clear that the move is one part of a complex series of Russian moves in the ongoing Grand Chess Game. That game is between Washington as sole global superpower, and Russia as a reconstructing nuclear power--one with a vast resource wealth needed by its Eurasian neighbours from China to Germany and beyond. Russia, which holds far the world’s largest known reserves of natural gas, is playing its own energy card with Ukraine as the current field of that battle.


Read here.

It's an interesting take on the whole affair. Unfortunately, there's biug fanfare about the new nuclear missiles that Russia is introducing (the Topol-Ms). When it comes to geopolitics, new nukes for an existing nuclear power are not that useful. If they'd been talking about completely revamped tank divisions or some such, I'd be worried, but as soon as the Russians use a nuke...well...they're worse than pariahs then.


No comments: