"ALL CAPS IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY IS NO VICE."

Friday, December 30, 2005

PUTIN USING STATE-OWNED ENERGY AS FOREIGN POLICY WEAPON TO THREATEN OR REWARD NEIGHBORS

BBC: Russian energy giant Gazprom has renewed a threat to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine - but says it will not hit deliveries to western Europe. Moscow and Kiev are holding talks over Gazprom's decision to quadruple prices. ... State-owned Gazprom wants to quadruple the gas price to between $220 and $230 per 1,000 cubic metres, insisting that Ukraine must pay market rates. ... Ukraine says it cannot afford to pay the extra cost immediately and accuses Moscow of trying to score political points with the price rise.

UK GUARDIAN-BLOG
: Moscow makes the not unreasonable point that the move is purely economic and that its neighbour no longer has a right to cheap energy supplies for steelmaking and other industries that compete with Russia's own. But recent deals with other former Soviet countries such as Belarus have kept prices low, raising suspicions that the price increase is not just about economics. ... Mr Putin is already under fire for his increasing intolerance of dissent at home. His economic adviser, Andrei Illarionov, one of the few remaining liberals in the inner circle, resigned this week saying that Russia was no longer free or democratic.

FT
: Russia has provided its former Soviet neighbours with heavily subsidised gas since the USSR collapsed in 1991 – partly to keep them within its sphere of influence. But now it wants to move to market prices, for what it says are economic reasons. Gazprom, Russia’s massive state-controlled gas company, has already agreed increased prices with several former Soviet states.

Ukraine says it is being asked to pay far more than any of those, suggesting the motive is political: to punish it for the Orange Revolution a year ago that brought the pro-western Viktor Yushchenko to power.

Ukraine is being asked to pay $230 per 1,000 cubic metres of gas – up from $50 this year. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, all now European Union members, are paying only $110, as is Georgia, which also had a pro-democracy revolution two years ago. Belarus, loyal to Russia, pays little over $46.

WASHPOST
: The chief of Russia's natural gas monopoly, OAO Gazprom, reiterated that it will halt supplies to Ukraine on Sunday morning unless a new contract is signed with its Ukrainian counterpart. ... Meanwhile, analysts said a Russian bid Thursday to buy up natural gas from another major supplier to Ukraine, Turkmenistan, would leave the Central Asian nation with little gas to sell to Ukraine.It is OBVIOUS that Putin is NOT merely trying to get Ukraine up to market price. This should make it clear that PUTIN is no better than OPEC was in the 1970's and NOT a trustworthy ally - or a safe energy resource for Europe.

AND REMEMBER THIS: socialist, vile anti-American and former Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schroeder is now chairman of Russia's German-Russia pipeline company which is MAJORITY OWNED BY GAZPROM. This makes him a co-conspirator in this matter with his fellow socialist Putin. THESE ARE TWO VERY BAD MEN.

AND LET THIS BE ANOTHER REMINDER OF WHY STATE-OWNED BUSINESSES ARE ALWAYS A FUNDAMENTAL THREAT TO LIBERTY EVERYWHERE.

6 comments:

Pastorius said...

I'm curious to hear what you think of the fact that Arnold Schwarzeneggar turned what was, as I recall, a $30 billion California budget deficit into a $5 billion surplus, in just under two years.

As per usual, this is being ignored by the media.

Isn't this among the most amazing news you've heard?

Pastorius said...

Check my numbers on what the defict was. I know it was very large. I could be off.

Reliapundit said...

projected deficits/surpluses are almost always BS.

and natonal (state and federal) tax revenue growth of late is mostly the result of improved economic activity.

the bush tax cuts helped MOPST in this regard.

if japan's economy is really improving (as it seems)then the world is in for a truly great year next year.

barring unforeseen events: major wmd terror, avian flu, etc.

Pastorius said...

Oh. You don't credit Arnold for pushing back at what had become instantaneous budget increases in California?

I know a lot of people on the right don't like Schwarzeneggar, but the people on the left hate him even more, and that ought to tell you something.

Look at what he attempted to do with the Propositions.

Interesting take, though. I had wondered why you hadn't written on that one.

Reliapundit said...

arnie is ok. a real improvement over gray.

but: ca needs better.

is that pos?

dunno.

maybe mitt should move to LA and run for guv instead of the WH!?

Pastorius said...

Now I like that idea. I actually like Mitt Romney, I just hate the idea of the Repubs running him for Pres.