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ELA1
Europe’s overdependence on Russia’s energy leads to the loss of the European way of
life and results in people living in fear. Russia will not change, so in order to keep their freedom
Russia has a long history of using countries’ energy dependency to strong-arm them into
submitting to Russia’s will. The policy of withholding energy from countries to force them into
submission began in 1948, with the Soviet Union’s institution of a blockade around Berlin,
Germany. “At 6 A.M. there on June 24, 1948, … the Russians, in order to capture control of the
entire city, halted the trains, trucks, and barges that brought food, coal, and every other supply
into the western portions of the capital on a daily basis” (Cherny 3). Fortunately, the United
States of America managed to supply the city throughout the blockade, in what is now known as
the Berlin Airlift, for almost a year, until the Soviet Union lifted the blockade on May 11, 1949.
In the 1990’s when the Soviet Union was nearing its end, Lithuania decided to declare
independence. “When the Supreme Soviet voted 124-0 to declare independence in April 1990,
Gorbachev cut off the oil and gas for the first time, successfully using energy as a blunted
foreign policy tool. The disruption didn’t last, however, and in August 1991, Gorbachev resigned
and the Soviet Union recognized Lithuania’s independence” (Steinberg 26). On January 1st,
2006, Russia cut off gas shipments to Ukraine. Three years later, Russia cut off gas to Ukraine
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again. This time, many countries were affected by the shut offs. Most recently, Russia has cut off
gas to Ukraine three times in 2014. In conclusion, since the end of World War II and the Berlin
blockade, Russia has used its neighbors’ energy dependency to strong-arm them into submitting
to Russia’s demands. Although the seven examples presented above may seem to be many, it is
necessary to realize that they are, in reality, only a small portion of an occurrence that has
This policy has resulted in the loss of a normal way of life for hundreds of millions of
people over the last eighty years. And what has replaced their ways of life? Fear of a disruption
of a normal way of life, and dependency on another country for basic necessities. During the
Berlin Blockade, many people were given a small paper bag of coal for them to stretch out over a
month or more. “Citing a West Berliner in November of 1948, ‘I’m not a defeatist, but when I
ask myself how we’re going to get through this winter, I just don’t know’” (Cherny 466). Many
people despaired as to their living conditions. “‘To be living here among the ruins seems
equivalent to already be lying in one’s own coffin,’ wrote the poet Gottfried Benn in a letter to a
friend” (Cherny 466). In addition, the blockade also prevented food, as well as fuel, from
reaching the city’s inhabitants. “While they shivered, they also starved” (Cherny 469). In more
recent years, the type of energy withheld from people has changed, but the reaction of the
citizens forced to cope with harsh European winters have not. “Russia shut off all gas supplies to
Europe through Ukraine on Wednesday, leaving more than a dozen countries scrambling to cope
during a winter cold snap” (nbcnews.com 1). Although the Russians shut off the gas shipments
only to Ukraine, other European countries were also affected, reporting either a complete stop in
shipments or a reduced intake of gas. “Tens of thousands of people … were without central
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heating” (nbcnews.com 1). Some countries, such as Poland, had adequate reserves to ride out the
winter, while others had to rush to acquire other sources of fuel. “In Bosnia, where gas operator
Sarajevogas said the situation was close to a humanitarian disaster, woodcutters … cut wood for
fireplaces” (nbcnews.com 2). In June of 2014, Russia again cut off gas shipments to Ukraine.
However, this time the shut offs coincided, not coincidentally, with the Russian aggression
against Ukraine. This prompted officials in the Ukrainian government, such as Prime Minister
Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, issued statements on what they thought of the recent events. “‘This is not
about gas,’ Mr. Yatsenyuk said. ‘This is a general plan for the destruction of Ukraine’”
(MacFarquhar 2). The countries that are most afraid of Russian shutoffs are usually small,
Eastern European countries that were formerly parts of the USSR, and thus still have a lingering
fear of Russian dominance in their consciousness. Russia’s history of using energy as a leverage
to tip the balance in their favor, and the staggering amount of people affected by the results of
Russia’s actions, gives overwhelming evidence as to why this issue is so severe. This can be
likened to Napoleon’s use of the windmill in Animal Farm, in the sense that Napoleon kept his
control over the farm by forcing the animals to construct a windmill, which he promised would
help the animals become wealthy. Instead, the windmill was destroyed, and the animals were
forced to reconstruct it. Just like the windmill was the primary instrument in Napoleon’s policy
of subjugation, Russia’s policy also uses a tool, albeit a much more powerful and controversial
one.
Gazprom is “Russia’s natural gas monopoly, the country’s largest company, and the
producer of more than a third of the world’s supply of natural gas” (Kramer 1). However, in
recent times, Gazprom has taken on another role. In the words of Volodymyr I. Polokhalo, “‘In
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this case, Gazprom is not a company. It’s an instrument entirely in the hand of the president’ of
Russia” (Kramer 4). Most recently, Ukraine has been the recipient of three Gazprom shut offs,
all either explicitly ordered by President Putin or condoned by him. Another factor in Gazprom’s
primary position in Russian policy is the fact that many government officials own Gazprom
stock. “Gazprom’s new pricing policy in Ukraine would also benefit stockholders; Gazprom
could earn more than $3 billion next year by raising prices. Far from being a mere tool, some
analysts see Gazprom … as a driving force in pushing the Kremlin’s Ukraine policy with the
intention of increasing profits from energy sales” (Kramer 1). Also, “The wide acquisition of
Gazprom stock by the Moscow elite in recent years means that now many of the same people
who craft Russia’s foreign policy are also large Gazprom stockholders, according to some
analysts. Their inclination to use Gazprom as a foreign policy tool is thus tempered by their
personal stake in seeing the company run as a business” (Kramer 3). Russia has found many
ways to assert its dominance over other countries. As the Soviet Union, they primarily used
military might. Now, Russia uses Gazprom, “a personal instrument of Russia’s emerging foreign
policy doctrine, which rests on energy exports … in place of lost military might” (Kramer 1).
An accurate picture has been presented, showing the problem and the consequences.
However, the solution is not as simple as the problem. Europe must become more energy
independent. But what does this mean? First of all, Europeans as a whole must begin to reach out
to other suppliers of energy, and some are already on that track. “Poland is already paying a stiff
price … buying liquefied natural gas from Qatar, which costs more than Russian pipelines.
Lithuania is doing much of the same by buying L.N.G. from Norway” (Buchan 2). However,
achieving energy independence is somewhat complicated by the fact that Western and Eastern
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Europeans are not in agreement on how to go it. To further complicate matters, “East Europeans
are themselves divided in their views about Russian gas. The Baltic states remain eager to reduce
their energy dependence on Russia by building pipelines that would enable them to exchange gas
with Nordic countries and Poland, and by buying L.N.G” (Buchan 3). Other East European
enthusiastic about obtaining a direct feed of Russian gas through the South Stream pipeline”
(Buchan 3). Even though Europe as a whole remains divided on how to achieve energy
independence from Russia, some countries have taken the steps to begin this process. Importing
LNG is also a prospect being considered by other countries in Eastern Europe. Also, “the
Southern Gas Corridor project will open in a few years importing gas from the Caspian region
and – for the first time – circumventing Russia, which will lose its gas export monopoly from the
region to Europe” (Russian-Ukrainian-EU gas conflict 2). This will allow Europe to take a big
step in the direction of energy diversity, but Russia might retaliate with higher prices and/or gas
shutoffs. Another feasible option for Europe to achieve energy independence would be for the
US to begin exporting energy to Europe, and also to impose more sanctions on Russia. Some
European countries, such as Germany and Denmark, have also constructed offshore wind farms,
and other countries are planning similar projects (www.offshorecenter.dk 1). In conclusion,
Europe must become more energy independent by reaching out for other sources of energy,
creating more pipelines that allow Europe to obtain gas from countries other than Russia, and for
the US to increase sanctions on Russia and increase energy exports to Europe, in order to stay
Europe’s overdependence on Russia’s energy leads to the loss of the European way of
life and results in people living in fear. Russia will not change, so in order to keep their freedom
and way of life, Europeans must become more energy independent. The reason that this is a
serious problem is because Russia has a long history of cutting off energy exports to other
countries, resulting in a sense of fear and dependency on the part of the recipients. The primary
tool for the implementation of this policy is Gazprom, the Russian natural gas company, and to
offset this problem, Europeans must increase their energy independence by reaching out for other
sources of energy. Russia has a long history of bullying their European neighbors, and it is
doubtful that they will change. Therefore, a restructuring of Russian foreign policy is simply not
feasible. To maintain its freedom, Europe must work to develop their own energy independence,
either by increasing their energy imports from other sources, and instituting more renewable
energy sources, such as wind farms. The US can help, but it is up to Europe to lead the way.
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Works Cited
Cherny, Andrei. The Candy Bombers; The Untold Story of the Berlin Airlift and America’s
Steinberg, Julie. Return of the Bear? The Extent of Russian Revisionism as Applied to Oil and
Gas Machinations; A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Political Science Department at the
University of Pennsylvania In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Bachelor of
MacFarquhar, Neil. Gazprom Cuts Russia’s Natural Gas Supply to Ukraine. [New York Times]
[Author Unknown]. Europe Strives to Overcome Its Reliance on Russian Gas. [New York
Kramer, Andrew E. Gazprom Becomes the Bear of Russia. [New York Times] 2005. Web. 27
January 2015
[Author Unknown] Europeans Shiver As Russia Cuts Gas Shipments. [Associated Press] 2009.
[Author Unknown] Just How Important is Russian Gas for Europe?. [Publisher Unknown]
Panin, Alexander. Russia’s South Stream Alternative Rests on Shaky Ground. [Publisher
[Author Unknown]. How does Europe wean itself off Russian Gas?. [Publisher Unknown].
[Author Unknown] Russian-Ukrainian-EU Gas Conflict: Who Stands to Lose Most?. [Publisher