Gazprom’s Imperial Foray
I can’t help taking a minute to return to Lionel Beehner’s “Why Russia Matters Less Than We Think.” In regard to how Russia’s as energy colossus shouldn’t worry Americans, he writes:
Russia is an energy powerhouse. Maybe, but little of its natural gas goes toward American consumers (indeed, Stolichnaya ads notwithstanding, we do remarkably little trade with Russia). Even Moscow’s energy imports to Western Europe are dwindling, as its share in natural gas imports shrunk from 50 percent to 42 percent between 2000 and 2005. Better to pay closer attention to the politics of Nigeria or Venezuela.
It seems that Beehner might have spoke too soon when suggesting that we should look at Nigeria at the expense of Russia. According to the Financial Times, America’s watchful eye over its imperial domains need also glance at Russia when peering at the politics of Nigeria. FT’s Matthew Green writes, “Gazprom, Russia’s state-owned energy group, ..read more
