""If the oil price goes down to $75 and stays there for a few years, Russia will have regime change," said a prominent Russian economist who asked not to be named."
He asked not to be named because speaking of a government not led by Putin is dangerous.
Accelerated Keystone would certainly get Vlad’s attention.
Will Jughead do anything in the Free World’s interest?
Apart from the vague and unsupported assertion, "Asian banks are unlikely to be able to fill the gap" it is not clear why the Russians cannot look to China with whom they recently signed a big energy deal, for the funds needed to expand energy production in the East for delivery to energy hungry China.
Although the sanctions purport to close access by Russia to American banks to finance expended energy production, if the money comes from China America will be indirectly financing the expansion but with our money laundered through China. Every year we have stupendous trade imbalances in stupendous debts run up to China which that country uses to buy up commodities around the globe and, not incidentally, to support regimes openly hostile to America.
Are these sanctions pushing the Russians and the Chinese together? Has it not been in the strategic interest of the United States since Henry Kissinger to drive a wedge between Russia and China?
If we had a president who thought about these things or who even cared about these things we might forge a policy over Ukraine which is not self defeating. A president who is not anti-American might find a way to think his way through these things as did the Nixon/Kissinger team which exploited the split between Russia and China.
Russia and Putin play chess while the West plays checkers.
Anyone else notice that the Middle East is going BOOM?! Gee, wonder what that will do to the price of oil? And that also tells you who is behind it all.
Fools...
More recent news from this year: Russia needs $101.70 a barrel to break even.
Oil Price Leverage Over Russia in Ukraine Crisis
By Roman Kilisek on April 17, 2014 at 12:10 PM
http://breakingenergy.com/2014/04/17/oil-price-leverage-over-russia-in-ukraine-crisis/
They left out rocket engine and space taxi revenue.
There is some thought that Putin is going on his adventures to get the people’s minds off their domestic misery. How true this might be, I couldn’t say, but apparently Russia’s economy is even worse than ours, despite Obama’s sabotage.
This is why approving the Keystone pipeline and unleashing US energy potential is the best way to deal with Russia and the mid east. It mention of both of those events will start the decline of world energy prices and drive socialist countries into bankruptcy.
These analysts aren’t running the full game simulation. The flip side is that Europe has no compelling alternative to Russian natural gas this Winter if Putin embargoes them by shutting the pipelines off.
Ditto for Russia ceasing to sell its 7 million barrels of oil per day.
Oh golly, Moscow’s budget won’t balance...gee, they can talk to DC about that one.
Europe is going to freeze this winter if they Putin decides to turn off their gas. And we won’t be able to get to the Space Station. But Putin doesn’t seem to be a capitalist. He likes the West’s money.
Bttt