Power Shortages and Russia

American Thinker:
By Kelly Haughton

Currently, there are concerns about power shortages in China, Europe, and the U.S. The Chinese economy is being held back by power shortages. People in the UK are worried about increased power bills and a possible food shortage this winter. In Germany, their power plants are short of natural gas and coal and they are hoping for a mild winter. All this reminds one of the various arguments in the U.S. about Russia trying to influence our elections. These concerns remind the U.S. that Russia benefits from power shortages and shortages of oil and natural gas.

Vladimir Putin is a smart man. Putin puts himself and Russia first and everything he does is to promote himself and Russia. Putin, as a former head of the KGB, is an expert at misinformation and manipulating public opinion, usually without leaving tracks.

The largest and most important sector of the Russian economy is the production and export of oil and natural gas. Putin is always looking for ways to improve Russia’s leverage in economics and geopolitics that comes from being one of the leading providers of fossil fuels. One of the biggest threats to his position was/is a growing, thriving U.S. fossil fuel industry. Whenever the U.S. moves from being a net importer of fossil fuels to being a net exporter of fossil fuels that is bad for the Russian economy. Putin knows this.

The U.S. has been a leading force in the application of new and innovative ways to extract oil and natural gas from the ground. Over the last couple of decades, the U.S. has increased its production of natural gas and oil significantly thanks to new technology. This new competition in the energy markets weakens Putin’s economic and geopolitical position. Putin knows this.

Given the above, it would make sense that Putin might be involved in spreading misinformation about the fossil fuel industry in the U.S. to handicap its growth. Putin might even support the anti-fracking and anti-pipeline campaigns in the U.S. since these would help Russia. Putin would favor the reduction of U.S. production of natural gas and oil to strengthen his position in the world energy markets. MORE HERE