Americans have seen how Europe is unwilling to invest and act seriously in its own defense, writes TomRTweets. Instead, Europe's nations rely on the U.S. military and taxpayers to do the hard work.
Russia's Gazprom energy giant has declared a force majeure, or extraordinary qualification, clause absolving itself of fulfilling supplies under existing contracts. First reported by Reuters, the move is almost certainly designed to tighten energy supplies across Europe and increase political pressure on EU leaders. Vladimir Putin's energy blackmail sets up Europe for a difficult winter.
European leaders have a big problem. With energy prices already soaring and storage levels running low, Putin can make the coming European winter very uncomfortable. He suspects, likely correctly, that European leaders will be unable to locate the courage to escalate against him in kind, forcing him to back down. In turn, Russia's price for restored supplies will be the restraint of Europe's paltry support for Ukraine.
Putin's play was entirely predictable. The Russian president is a KGB officer of the Red Banner Institute. He is trained to use exploitation and manipulation before overt confrontation and competition. European leaders made Putin's task easy. They chose cheap delusion over energy diversification and sovereign stability.
There is no better example of this idiocy than the recent presence of Gazprom banners at the UEFA Champions League soccer tournament. Until Russia invaded Ukraine in February, European soccer viewers were greeted by a never-ending stream of Gazprom banners as they watched their teams compete in the continent's most prestigious annual tournament. It was very Russian proof of how ambition, threats, and bribery can win the obedience of another.
After all, Americans have seen how Europe is unwilling to invest and act seriously in its own defense. Instead, Europe's nations rely on the U.S. military and taxpayers to do the hard work. Yet, an alliance in which one party provides much without reciprocity is not an alliance. Rather, it is a masterpiece Ponzi scheme. American patience is rightly running out. Absent a fundamental shift in European thinking, a time will soon come when U.S.
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