I have been out of the loop for the past week, logging a lot of miles in the saddle and studiously avoiding any mention of the Olympics, but when I turned on the radio this morning everyone seemed mystified that Russia was ignoring both US and European bluster and was continuing to do whatever it damn well pleased in Georgia. I wonder why could it be um... oil?
Hey kids, remember that big bad country we all loved to hate back in the day? They are retooling to be our competitors again, and as the US shows again their lack of understanding of the axiom "Never get involved in a land war in asia" our old pals the Russians have been flexing their might in two of the new growth battlefields of the future: economics and cyberspace. Is anyone smarter and better connected to these issues paying attention to this? The MSM sure isn't - I haven't heard one mention of oil as a reason France and Germany (and others) have such a hard time saying no to the Russians. Yes, I realize that there are no troops to supply to the defense of our hopeful-NATO ally, and I can't name a single strategically vital reason to support Georgia militarily in a conflict with Russia other than we sort of hinted we would... what does this mean for Poland and others - Is Poland once again destined to be the final straw? Oh my.
It's a funny thing how dependency on a country for your natural resources really ties your ability to respond to a crisis. The US military is engaged to an unsustainable extent, Europe has for the past few years become more dependent on Russian oil. Why is no one mentioning this? How it is a critical issue of national security and sovereignty to become more energy sufficient.
Meanwhile, over the past few years, Russia has become resurgent in its might, economically speaking, and has shown how they will use this might in future conflicts namely in their spat over oil and gas lines in Ukraine (was it?), didn't they turn off the fuel for a while, gee I wonder how long it takes for a country to capitulate when their fuel supply suddenly becomes severely rationed. In winter. Didn't Gazprom kick out its joint venture partners? Obviously I am no expert, but is anyone watching this? They are the real deal in terms of proven and suspected energy reserves, are we afraid yet?
Well what if we add in yet another coordinated attack against a former-satellite in yet another of the up and coming battlefields cyber warfare against Estonia.
I know I don't know and no I haven't done the research to back it up, I am feeling a bit lazy, but still curious about Russia's more assertive foreign policy. Oh and that they can justify it all based on US aspirations at world hegemony actions? Classic!