While America fought lost wars, The Bear was awakened! Moving from a unipolar world to a multipolar one provides needed balance, but also might precipitate a new kind of Cold War over oil and gas. Russia is using energy as its means of regaining international prestige.
One of the main reasons for NATO expansion, from America’s strategic point of view, was to prevent Russia from restoring its former influence. But Moscow's new diplomatic offensive has made large holes in America's containment policy.
Washington's quagmire in Iraq, NATO’s problems in Afghanistan, and rising global opposition to American foreign policy in general has given Russia an opportunity to go on the offensive against America. Its special relations with Tehran and its increasing leverage over the world oil market have even emboldened Moscow to enter a place of great strategic importance for the U.S. -- The Middle East.
Putin's attacks against the U.S. first in Davos and later in Munich were more than political posturing. They were astute moves to set the stage for Putin’s Middle East tour.
Even U.S. allies in the region didn’t mind Putin accusing Washington of bringing Iraq to a state even worse than that under Saddam’s rule.
America’s promises of a stable and democratic Iraq were replaced with chaos and sectarianism. This is tearing apart the country and threatening the region's stability. But in the future, a louder Russian voice, combined with China's emerging power, could curb reckless American policies.
While China and Russia remain wary of each other -- separately undercutting America's influence -- they still manage to losen the U.S. grip on the world. Both are using their increased oil market power to back their diplomatic surge. Oil experts believe that Russia and China could override OPEC's influence in determining oil prices.
Meanwhile Russia and Qatar -- which together hold more than 40 percent of the world's natural gas reserves -- have agreed to discuss forming a natural gas producers' group similar to OPEC. The U.S. did not hide its irritation over the Russian-Qatari plans, which would sabotage Washington's attempts to keep Russia and China away from gaining serious shares of the Gulf's expanding natural gas markets.
Russia's main assets -- its energy reserves -- are being used to break encirclement by governments supported by America. Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have ratified agreements to divide the northern part of the Caspian Sea bed between the three countries.
Will this take us to a better world? It could bring about balance. But the rest of the world will remain at the mercy of big power rivalries for some time who try to gain an upper hand in an increasingly a fierce competition.
Please e-mail PostGlobal if you'd like to receive an email notification when PostGlobal sends out a new question.
