Will Putin’s War Be the Last Fought Over Fossil Fuels or Just the Next In Line?
It was a mistake that Germany became so heavily dependent on energy imports from Russia.
Christian Lindner, German finance minister
Could you ever imagine the allied nations buying wheat, fertilizer, or fuel oil from Nazi Germany once battle lines had been crossed? I couldn’t either. So let me ask you this.
What’s the difference between purchasing some critical resource from Nazi Germany and the buying of Russian oil and gas by Western allied nations now that Putin’s armies have crossed into Ukraine? Isn’t trading with an enemy in wartime considered a nearly universal crime against country?
I don’t pretend to be an expert in the intricacies of war and diplomacy. Still, on a good day, I’m not entirely without some understanding of history, the ways of politicians, and possessed of a bit of common sense.
Of the major Western allied economies, Germany’s plight is the worst in terms of its reliance on Russian oil and gas. A month ago, 50 percent of its oil and gas supplies came from Russian reserves. The number has dropped to 40 percent and is expected to be “0” sometime in 2023.
Nevertheless, each day, each month, as Western nations are pumping fossil fuels into their tanks, they are…
