Free Republic

In 2021, a whopping 83 percent of Russian gas was exported to Europe. Russia’s global exports of 7 million barrels of oil a day and 200 billion cubic meters (bcm) of piped gas a year accounted for about half of its federal revenue... Far from freezing to death, Europe quickly secured alternative gas supplies by pivoting to global liquefied natural gas (LNG) ... these alternative supplies have reduced Europe’s dependence on Russian gas to 9 percent of its total gas imports... Furthermore, Europe’s unseasonably warm winter means that not only have the worst-case scenarios been avoided, but Europe’s full storage...

The days of Vladimir Putin’s energy blackmail driving up energy prices and testing Western unity are quickly coming to a close amidst a string of underappreciated but significant energy victories for the Biden Administration, ranging from bringing down gasoline prices for drivers to supplying enough LNG to keep Europe warm this winter. Instead of shivering in distress, European leaders are now considering plans to supply Ukraine with advanced battle tanks.

Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book explained how leaders and groups need each other for power: “For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.” President Biden has breathed new confidence into allied unity and resolve—and has in turn been strengthened by our international allies. Overcoming the self-destructive America First isolationism of our recent past, Biden has rebuilt trust through collective action. Most recently, America’s continued triumphs in international energy diplomacy—ranging from reining in OPEC+ to the successful rollout of the Russian oil price caps to helping the EU work through its...

Five months into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there remains a startling lack of understanding by many Western policymakers and commentators of the economic dimensions of President Vladimir Putin’s invasion and what it has meant for Russia’s economic positioning both domestically and globally. Far from being ineffective or disappointing, as many have argued, international sanctions and voluntary business retreats have exerted a devastating effect over Russia’s economy. The deteriorating economy has served as a powerful if underappreciated complement to the deteriorating political landscape facing Putin.

Business leaders are clearly not buying the continuing narrative from many political leaders that efforts to overturn American democracy after the last election were “legitimate political discourse.” Newly released Federal Election Commission filings this month, now encompassing the entirety of 2021, show that all 93 of the incumbent members of Congress who failed in their constitutional duties to confirm the certified ballots of the Electoral College have suffered a major plunge in business support. We’ve seen a resurgence of whining from cynical media about companies that let expire last year’s pledges to halt donations to these “objectors” in Congress. But...