Imagine a country rich in fossil fuels and another nearby that is Europe's premier industrial power in dire need of those resources -- is that a match made in heaven?
Not according to Joe Biden who quashed it as if it was a match made in hell. Biden was so much against any such rapprochement that to end all prospects of a deal, he ordered the bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines. Two out of four lines were severely damaged, about 50 meters of them and Russia chose not to conduct repairs. Instead,it is pumping its gas up through Turkey.
So far, Russia has not responded to this act of war but a leader can not
afford to lose face domestically or internationally, and one may not be
surprised if an American facility or ship suffers an adverse event in
the future.
In
the meantime, Russia has become fast friends with China -- the latter
having its own bone to pick with Biden. China, a growing industrial
giant, has almost insatiable energy needs and Russia stands ready to
supply them. An informal deal has been agreed upon with a formal
signing ceremony on March 20, 2023.
So who won this fracas? Russia gets to export its gas anyway and China, already generating the world's highest GDP on a purchasing-power-parity basis, has guaranteed itself an energy source.
Of
course there is Ukraine where Biden (like the US in Vietnam) is ready
to fight to the last Ukrainian. Despite a valiant resistance, they are
not winning, for Russia continues to solidify its hold on Ukraine's
east, most recently by taking Soledar and capturing parts of the
transport hub Bakhmut itself.
And then there is Saudi Arabia: hitherto a staunch U.S. ally, it is now extending a hand of friendship to Iran, which its previous king used to call the snake in the Middle East. But Saudi Arabia is keenly aware of the vassal-like manner in which the U.S. has treated Germany, its ally with the largest economy in Europe, over its desire to buy cheap gas from Russia. The deal was nixed and observers estimate it cost Germany a couple of points of GDP growth. Such a loss in the U.S. would translate to almost zero growth.
India used to be a neutral country between the great powers. In fact, its first leader after independence, Jawaharlal Nehru, was a leading figure in the non-aligned movement. It is now being tugged towards the US.
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