Taming the Bear: Countering Russian Energy Dominance in Europe (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781288257959)

European energy supplies are not secure. While individual nations have varying levels of energy security, too many European Union (EU) members, particularly those in Central and Eastern Europe, rely almost completely upon Russian state-owned monopolies for their energy supply. These monopolies act at the behest of the Kremlin and political motivations often outweigh financial incentives. The Putin administration has proved time and again in Ukraine, Czech Republic, Belarus, Poland, the Baltics, Georgia and others nations that it is willing and able to wield its energy dominance as a weapon of foreign policy. This paper's thesis is to determine how the United States and EU can limit this Russian influence over Europe. The paper begins with an analysis of the current key issues in the European-Russian energy relationship, including pipelines and infrastructure, Russian politics in the energy industry, and a history of past energy disputes while building an argument on why action is required. It then examines potential methods of countering Russian influence through increasing pipeline, supplier, and energy source diversity; enforcing current laws; and reforming the EU energy market. Critical analysis shows that gas market reform and diversifying suppliers are the best methods.

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