Russia's Growing Political Clout

from the February 21, 2006 eNews issue

Beneath the Baltic Sea, a pipeline is being built between Russia and Germany. Slated for completion by 2010, the 744-mile Northern European Pipeline is a 5 billion dollar project that will pump billions of cubic meters of natural gas from Western Siberia to Germany and the rest of Europe. More importantly, the project has come to symbolize Europe's growing reliance on Moscow for its ever-expanding energy needs. Three-quarters of Europe's natural gas will be imported by 2020, the bulk of which will come from Russia. But some experts say Europe's reliance on Russian gas is problematic, particularly if Moscow makes a pattern of using energy as a tool for foreign policy.

The Russian government controls most of the nation's energy resources and seems willing to use its energy clout as a political weapon. Russia recently received criticism when Gazprom, Russia's giant state-owned energy monopoly, briefly suspended gas supplies to Ukraine, in the dead of winter, in a dispute over gas prices and transit costs. The EU bloc of 25 countries relies on Russia for over a quarter of its energy needs. Germany, for example, imports over a third of their gas from Russia. Several Eastern European nations are completely dependent on Gazprom. Gazprom sells a third of its gas to Europe, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the company's revenue.

Russia is a key player in world energy markets. It holds the world's largest natural gas reserves, the second largest coal reserves, and the eighth largest oil reserves. Russia is also the world's largest exporter of natural gas, the second largest oil exporter, and the third largest energy consumer. Russia has reaped huge economic benefits from rising energy prices. In addition to the European gas pipeline, construction has begun on an Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline to feed growing Asian markets. Russia has also made lucrative energy deals with Canada and the United States. In fact, some experts believe Russia could become the third-largest exporter of energy to the US before the end of the decade.

Over the past two years, partly as a consequence of the war in Iraq, Russia has been carefully cultivating ties with Turkey, Iran and Syria. After losing the Mid-East foothold provided by Saddam Hussein's Iraq, the Russians have been building a new axis of power based on those three key countries. Russia is now Turkey's second-largest trading partner, with a volume of $10 billion in trade per year; Russia strengthened ties with Iran by supplying it with nuclear-related technologies; and last year Russia and Syria made plans to increase diplomatic and military cooperation. Russia wrote-off approximately 10 billion dollars of Syria’s Soviet-era debt and has supplied Syria with Russian made SA-18 surface-to-air missiles.

Russia's arms exports in 2005 totalled a record breaking 6.1 billion dollars. Despite the ongoing controversy about Iran's nuclear program, Russia intends to sell Iran up to 30 Tor M-1 surface-to-air missiles in a deal estimated to be worth up to 700 million dollars. Russia claims to be our ally and partner in the war against terrorism. However despite US objections, Russia is all too willing to sell advanced weaponry to countries (like Syria and Iran) which support the insurgency in Iraq. Russia has also made overtures to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian government. Russia does not consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization, even though Hamas has claimed responsibility for the murder of more than 500 people in at least 350 separate terrorist attacks since 1993.

Russia is a co-sponsor of the Road Map Peace Plan, but that does not mean they are a friend to Israel. Prior to the elections in January, Russian military experts were sent to the Gaza Strip to train Palestinian security forces. In addition to training, Russia is prepared to provide the Palestinians with armored vehicles, ammunition, and helicopters. In past speeches Putin has called on Israel to make concessions and withdraw "from all the occupied Arab lands back to the June 4, 1967 border."

Tensions in the Middle East continue to increase and recent events indicate that the famed battle prophesied in Ezekiel 38 and 39 could be on our near horizon. It is during this battle, that God will directly intercede to protect Israel from Magog and its allies. For more information on this topic see the links below.