Posted on 03/08/2006 11:30:31 AM PST by Tailgunner Joe
Commentary on Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to Washington this week has described his country as an "emerging power." That will certainly play really well back in Moscow and be music to the ears of President Vladimir Putin, whose ambition since taking power has been to restore Russia to its former seat on the international stage. Ambitions and rhetoric, however, don't necessarily make it so. Russia rather seems to be on a path toward becoming something like Saudi Arabia with nukes -- repressive internally and in overall economic decline, but wielding clout in the relationship with the West because of its vast energy wealth.
Specifically, Mr. Ivanov came to Washington to sell the Bush administration on the idea of a Russian-Iranian nuclear deal that would avert a showdown in the U.N. Security Council (and beyond) over Iran's reprocessing of fissile material, which both Europeans and Americans worry might end up in a nuclear weapons program. Russia has now proposed moving the reprocessing to Russian soil, allegedly to make it unavailable for nuclear-arms production in Iran.
Faced with a likely Russian veto in the U.N. Security Council, the Bush administration is making polite noises about the Russian initiative, but there is no appetite here for backing it. Both the Russians and the Iranians have a dismal record of actually abiding by international agreements.
The initiative on Iran is not the only Russian power play there is to worry about. Mr. Putin is reviving the old Soviet foreign policy toward the Middle East, and is pushing to extend his influence. Before traveling to Washington, Mr. Lavrov met with a delegation from Hamas, the terrorist organization that recently won the majority of seats in the parliament of the Palestinian Authority.
With Hamas' record of suicide bombings against Israeli citiziens in mind, the United States and the European Union have called on Hamas to reverse its policy of destruction of Israel and renounce violence as a precondition for political recognition and international aid. By contrast, Mr. Putin took it upon himself to reverse the order of these factors and invited Hamas to Russia for a meeting, which took place over the weekend. While the Russian foreign minister did actually deliver a message of no violence to Hamas, the terror group is far more likely to appreciate the symbolic message of support from Moscow than it is to listen to Mr. Levrov's lecture.
Most important, though, is Russia's energy wealth, which in an environment of rising oil prices, is giving it new found clout. In the words of Michael McFaul of the Hoover Institution, "The Soviet Union held the world's attention of fear, not respect... Putin aspires to return Russia to its great-power status, not because of its army, ideology or even nuclear weapons but because of its oil and gas."
Mr. Putin has announced that "energy security" will be the focus of Russia's chairmanship of the Group of 8, leading up the group's summit in St. Petersburg this summer. Mr. Putin, throwing his weight around, will demand the suspension of disbelief from the other G8 countries, as Russia's economy is actually smaller than that of the Netherlands, and as Russia was only invited to join the group in the 1990s in order to show political support for then-President Boris Yeltsin.
This past cold winter has seen some pretty crude power plays on Russia's part toward its CIS partners. Ukrainians, who had the nerve to rebel against the Russian-backed results in the December 2004 parliamentary elections, found themselves on the receiving end of a tight Russian squeeze this winter. In December, Gazprom officials raised the price of natural gas to Ukraine from $50 per 1,000 cubic meters to $230, and on Jan. 1 Gazprom turned the volume of gas way down, affecting prices and supply throughout Europe as well. An agreement was subsequently reached with Ukraine, which placed Russian gas at $95 per 1,000 cubic meters. Meanwhile, Belarus, which has remained an obedient little ally of the Kremlin, gets its gas from Russia at $46 per 1,000 cubic meters.
None of this makes Russia a great power, but it does make it a potential troublemaker in international affairs. Could there be a better reason for getting U.S. (and European) energy policy right? Having the U.S. economy hostage to countries like Russia, Iran, Venezuela or Saudi Arabia can only spell trouble for the future.
Well, all of this is predicted in the Bible. I'm not in the least surprised.
Russia's back? Russia never left, they just took a lower profile after their economy collapsed.
The market price for gas is about $250 per 1,000 cubic meters. So Ukraine will get 60% discount from Russia while Belarus will get 80%.
But should not be rather the responsibility of EU to subsidize Ukrainian economy?
Serious no doubt.Rus, Russia,Giant.No hope else or only hope else we are on the same page.Everything has gone through strange changes and that is more due to geographic and political strangulation.Then they open and we give them m jackson,or some other punk.This starts at the bottom as well as the top.These are our brothers and sisters over there and we can accomplish anything,anything together.This terrorist bs is put in our lap to serve others.The ones who sit like stalin and think we are all fools to be played.Every demigod is a tool yet in this time,by recent news,there will be little more of this.
This Mr.Putin is a man full of thought.He was well rooted in knowledge of counter to what some sit in but has gone beyond that to larger issue.
"The market price for gas is about $250 per 1,000 cubic meters."
BWAHAHAHAHAHA
The Market Price for Gas in Turkmanistan where Ukraine and Russia bought it is $50.
Then, Putie STOLE it from Ukraine and SOLD TO HIS OWN FOR $15.
Sounds like Communism to Me!
Why is every Russia article tagged with CHINA when it is not mentioned at all in the article?
The Market Price for Gas in Turkmanistan where Ukraine and Russia bought it is $50.
Then, Putie STOLE it from Ukraine and SOLD TO HIS OWN FOR $15. ==
Putin stole Turkmenian gas? Very interesting twist:). How you steal something which out of your reach? In Turkmenia?
Opposite Ukraine stoles so much of russian gas got transited through her territory then Europe compligned about it.
Russian answer: get NEP operational ASAP.
-should be disavowed... well yes in certain context. All suspicion will remain.Be not fooled by me. Russians may look like us but are not us nor is it in their best interests now to pretend to be us.There are many of us here which have much in common with Russian people as well as they can say similar about some of us.There are great divides which can only be mended by first knowing they exist.One cannot ever make a Russian into an American nor can one make an American into a Russian.Not easily not yet.However there arises in this increasing small world alliances toward common goal or against common enemy.The Soviet Union is a somewhat noble enemy. They were underhanded cheating sobs many times.One may try to compare our secret services to theirs and not find the assinations,poison umbrellas and myriad of weird and strange ways of torture conjured up by those who had to perform this to save their own skin or those of their children.Politics pathologically driven home on many levels is not something easily faced by new generations.Were the horrors dealt against their parents not enough they have this too.What is "this"?Well "this" is evident by the fact they are strong and intelligent people.One may dig too deeply and find excact digging occurring into us.This serves no purpose now.These Folks are Our ally against the stupidity of the world and they really have no time for crap like what occurs on daily basis.The politicos and other organs are all over it.I would not intend to rankle feathers.The hawk does not like this.I like many grieved when Soviet helicopters went down in Afganistan.I know the Soviets were beasts,setting people afire and poisoning wells but I'm thinking 5 of nine were just being patriotic.I'm thinking the soviets will make us pay by similar means by loss of our best just like they think we betrayed them.We didn't shoot a rocket and kill Yuri. Mike and Steve were not directly killed by Rus.This has got to stop immediatly.
How does it feel to be a member of a lost cause?
Whaat part of this don't you and your Russian wife understand?
"The Market Price for Gas in Turkmanistan where Ukraine and Russia bought it is $50.
Then, Putie STOLE it from Ukraine and SOLD TO HIS OWN FOR $15.
Sounds like Communism to Me!"
Because the chicoms have MOU's with all the bad players on the world stage, and hide behind all the bad happenings as if it has nothing to do with them. Russia is not nearly as ambitious or greedy as the chicoms. Poor chicoms, so many proxies, so little time.
How does it feel to be a member of a lost cause?==
You tell me:)
Spanalot anyways what is the childish remarks? You take it too personally:).
ping
I fail to understand what the obvious is clearly illustrated in the article of Russia's intentions are in regards to the Middle East and its neighbors in Eastern Europe.
Russia illustrated to Western Europe its intention to use energy as a tool of its imperial policy. Since rattling the saber with its neighbors Ukraine and Poland didn't work, squeezing the rope around their neck is the next best thing.
After all, if you can't control an election's outcome by poisoning a Presidential candidate, what else are you to do?
The defenders of imperial Russia aside, this does not portend a positive direction with Hamas in the Middle East. Russia is back to sponsoring its client states in the region which have little desire for peace or modernity.
"Russia is back to sponsoring its client states in the region which have little desire for peace or modernity."
Agreed
bump
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