Why would Russia do this? As we note elsewhere on this page, roughly a quarter of Europe’s energy comes from Russia. This tightens Putin’s stranglehold on Europe’s economy and gives him all the diplomatic leverage he needs. If you don’t believe this, look at the EU’s weak response to the crisis in Georgia. It “brokered” a cease-fire that is essentially a total capitulation by Georgia to Russian demands. Appeasement is back. After Putin’s bullying, Europe is less likely to object to Russia’s profiteering from Iran’s nuclear program, or Russia’s brutal war against Chechnyan separatists, or its intimidation of Eastern European countries. Europe has no sticks for Russia — only carrots. That’s not the case with the U.S.
