The Russian gas trap

As soon as we, in the west, recognize that every country has to protect its own interest just as we do, there should be peace in the world. Russia is not stealing anything from anybody, they just want to be paid for their product. Because we want to isolate and weeken Russia, we have to bad mouth them w/media help. We also are instigating their neighbors to become their enemies. Our western motto is: You do as we tell you, or else. I hope that Mr Obama will take different approach w/Russia, who is not our enemy, it just takes normal person to see it. There are just too many interest groops who potray Russia as a bad bear for their own beneffit.

Stratfor publishes many reports - some good, some bad. I would like to place this one in the latter category and I am amazed B92 copied it.

Yushenko's popularity in the Ukraine is close to zero, so it is hard to believe that Russia would harm its relations with other countries in order to damage Yushenko. Given the stream of conflicting explanations and outright lies we hear from the Ukraine to explain why no gas is transported I consider it very probable that the Ukraine is the main culprit in this conflict.

Not impressed either by this report. The mass privatizations of the 1990s were pushed by the US on Russia precisely to stop Russia from returning to communism (ask Noreen Hertz).

How is it that now the russians are as red-blooded capitalists as the rest of us they are still the 'enemy'? Because Russia wouldn't continue to play the role of subservient to western interests as it had done throughout the 1990s.

Why is the Ukraine in the WTO and not Russia? Surely not just a question of economics? Why isn't China or India in the G8? Why is Jackson-Vanik still applied to Russia?

All of the above proves that the west is only interested in allies, however corrupt and undemocratic they are. Azerbaidjan has just banned the BBC, VOA & DW from its radio waves - where is the outrage in western capitols? None, because it is a 'strategic partner', i.e. the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline.

Lukashenko is 'Europe's last dicator' as the media illiterati love to tell us, yet close to silence on Azerbiadjan.

Unfortunately there are many people still out there who think human rights trump strategic interests. Semi-state human rights institutions such as HRW (basically an arm of the USDoS) get far more coverage for their critical reports when it concerns 'enemies'.

Quite a useful media and foreign policy tool.

Well the EU states (and the US) can prove what great buddies they are with the Ukraine by simply paying their bills, in full but they don't (except in Georgia's case the US actually gave the Georgians money to buy gas from Iran!).

So much for supporting the half of the Ukraine that thinks everything to its west is a land of milk and honey...

Words are cheap, money isn't.

of course it is in german interest to find a way to live with russia, just as it was in its interest to find a way to live with france. france and germany waged several wars before they realised that they can't go on like that anymore and now the franco-german alliance is the backbone of the european union. if they find a way to live with russia that would mean the continent would probably never ever see a major war again. i really hope this will happen.

it is understandable that smaller countries feel that they would be taken over by bigger ones. however, they will depend on the bigger countries economically, so they could as well learn to live with that. unfortunately presently some east european countries rely heavily on the us and americans can afford to antagonise russia. in fact they probably want to do that since a russo-german alliance combined with franco-german alliance would create a very powerful block and they would lose a lot of influence.

Yes I agree with Wim that there is a severe lack of Ukraine in this article. Ukraine like Georgia is bashing Russia to get western ears. For some reason lots of people in the west like to hear Russia bashing. Also with Putin being in the former KGB neocons love to bash him and Russia. So the fault is really with Ukraine and its failure to pay bills and now ship oil to Europe but as along as its president and prime minister are seen as mainly anti-Russia figures who came to power in the "orange revolution" they will not get all the blame that they deserve.

Aleks,

Great comment and I agree with all of your points. I found this quote of yours rather interesting "Unfortunately there are many people still out there who think human rights trump strategic interests." Human rights can be spun any way to serve any strategic interest just as in the case of Kosovo. The media was claiming human rights were being violated on a massive scale when in fact it was simply domestic anti-terror operations.

Like Nikita Kruschev said "The media is our chief ideological weapon". I love this quote because so many people blindly follow the media and not seek the truth.

Its interesting how during Soviet times religious freedom or really any other major ideology was nonexistent/persecuted and now with Capitalism it is force-fed to us. Only the religion here is not Christianity, Islam or any other actual religion but rather the religion/ideology of money. That it can buy anything including but not limited to: a human life, people's integrity and loyalty.

L, 14 January

Thank you !


malcolm x, 14

Good comment ! And you may add that from the very begining US did everything to bar Russian-European normalization in every sphere. During last 40 years they attacked our cooperation in gas supplies without offering an alternative. Even the NABUCCO is a dead born political idea to let the US stay in Asia but not a real attempt to help Europe. To my mind Atomic stations and Algerian gas are more real than the NABUCCO trick.


Wim Roffel

You know that Yushenko is another failing US project in the backyard of Russia. Like Saakashvili this year he will have to leave his Fatherland forever. So the main player in the gas war was the US lame duck.

They have reached their goals to poison our realations with most of the Europeans. But Putin's counter attack is as well a part of the Presidential campaign to start in Ukraine this autumn. Russia can not afford loosing this campaign again.


Aleks, 15

One thing I disagree is that in your comment there were some "cheap words" ! I hope very soon such viewings will start to prevail in the West. People there sometimes do not think of what will happen if Russia stops opposing US hegemony. Even today US pays little attention to what the Europeans think and what their interests are. EU is interested to have friendly Russia by it's side to equalize the US influence.

Stratfor publishes many reports - some good, some bad. I would like to place this one in the latter category and I am amazed B92 copied it.

Yushenko's popularity in the Ukraine is close to zero, so it is hard to believe that Russia would harm its relations with other countries in order to damage Yushenko. Given the stream of conflicting explanations and outright lies we hear from the Ukraine to explain why no gas is transported I consider it very probable that the Ukraine is the main culprit in this conflict.

As soon as we, in the west, recognize that every country has to protect its own interest just as we do, there should be peace in the world. Russia is not stealing anything from anybody, they just want to be paid for their product. Because we want to isolate and weeken Russia, we have to bad mouth them w/media help. We also are instigating their neighbors to become their enemies. Our western motto is: You do as we tell you, or else. I hope that Mr Obama will take different approach w/Russia, who is not our enemy, it just takes normal person to see it. There are just too many interest groops who potray Russia as a bad bear for their own beneffit.

of course it is in german interest to find a way to live with russia, just as it was in its interest to find a way to live with france. france and germany waged several wars before they realised that they can't go on like that anymore and now the franco-german alliance is the backbone of the european union. if they find a way to live with russia that would mean the continent would probably never ever see a major war again. i really hope this will happen.

it is understandable that smaller countries feel that they would be taken over by bigger ones. however, they will depend on the bigger countries economically, so they could as well learn to live with that. unfortunately presently some east european countries rely heavily on the us and americans can afford to antagonise russia. in fact they probably want to do that since a russo-german alliance combined with franco-german alliance would create a very powerful block and they would lose a lot of influence.

Yes I agree with Wim that there is a severe lack of Ukraine in this article. Ukraine like Georgia is bashing Russia to get western ears. For some reason lots of people in the west like to hear Russia bashing. Also with Putin being in the former KGB neocons love to bash him and Russia. So the fault is really with Ukraine and its failure to pay bills and now ship oil to Europe but as along as its president and prime minister are seen as mainly anti-Russia figures who came to power in the "orange revolution" they will not get all the blame that they deserve.

L, 14 January

Thank you !


malcolm x, 14

Good comment ! And you may add that from the very begining US did everything to bar Russian-European normalization in every sphere. During last 40 years they attacked our cooperation in gas supplies without offering an alternative. Even the NABUCCO is a dead born political idea to let the US stay in Asia but not a real attempt to help Europe. To my mind Atomic stations and Algerian gas are more real than the NABUCCO trick.


Wim Roffel

You know that Yushenko is another failing US project in the backyard of Russia. Like Saakashvili this year he will have to leave his Fatherland forever. So the main player in the gas war was the US lame duck.

They have reached their goals to poison our realations with most of the Europeans. But Putin's counter attack is as well a part of the Presidential campaign to start in Ukraine this autumn. Russia can not afford loosing this campaign again.


Aleks, 15

One thing I disagree is that in your comment there were some "cheap words" ! I hope very soon such viewings will start to prevail in the West. People there sometimes do not think of what will happen if Russia stops opposing US hegemony. Even today US pays little attention to what the Europeans think and what their interests are. EU is interested to have friendly Russia by it's side to equalize the US influence.

Not impressed either by this report. The mass privatizations of the 1990s were pushed by the US on Russia precisely to stop Russia from returning to communism (ask Noreen Hertz).

How is it that now the russians are as red-blooded capitalists as the rest of us they are still the 'enemy'? Because Russia wouldn't continue to play the role of subservient to western interests as it had done throughout the 1990s.

Why is the Ukraine in the WTO and not Russia? Surely not just a question of economics? Why isn't China or India in the G8? Why is Jackson-Vanik still applied to Russia?

All of the above proves that the west is only interested in allies, however corrupt and undemocratic they are. Azerbaidjan has just banned the BBC, VOA & DW from its radio waves - where is the outrage in western capitols? None, because it is a 'strategic partner', i.e. the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline.

Lukashenko is 'Europe's last dicator' as the media illiterati love to tell us, yet close to silence on Azerbiadjan.

Unfortunately there are many people still out there who think human rights trump strategic interests. Semi-state human rights institutions such as HRW (basically an arm of the USDoS) get far more coverage for their critical reports when it concerns 'enemies'.

Quite a useful media and foreign policy tool.

Well the EU states (and the US) can prove what great buddies they are with the Ukraine by simply paying their bills, in full but they don't (except in Georgia's case the US actually gave the Georgians money to buy gas from Iran!).

So much for supporting the half of the Ukraine that thinks everything to its west is a land of milk and honey...

Words are cheap, money isn't.

Aleks,

Great comment and I agree with all of your points. I found this quote of yours rather interesting "Unfortunately there are many people still out there who think human rights trump strategic interests." Human rights can be spun any way to serve any strategic interest just as in the case of Kosovo. The media was claiming human rights were being violated on a massive scale when in fact it was simply domestic anti-terror operations.

Like Nikita Kruschev said "The media is our chief ideological weapon". I love this quote because so many people blindly follow the media and not seek the truth.

Its interesting how during Soviet times religious freedom or really any other major ideology was nonexistent/persecuted and now with Capitalism it is force-fed to us. Only the religion here is not Christianity, Islam or any other actual religion but rather the religion/ideology of money. That it can buy anything including but not limited to: a human life, people's integrity and loyalty.