Display:
First up, I have to say that given any kind of sensible foreign policy I don't see the Russians cutting off gas supplies.

However, the purpose of the analysis is supposedly to examine the implications of such an event...

The unanswered question is: How much economic havoc would the shutting off of 7% of primary energy consumption cause?

7% (or thereabouts, reading roughly off the graph) doesn't seem like much, but, for example, let's say that GDP is only half-dependent on energy... that would be 3% of GDP?

Is that significant?

A further issue raised in the comments on the blog is that Russia's internal use of gas is rising, so in the medium term we do need to be looking for alternative sources anyway.

by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Fri Nov 21st, 2008 at 05:19:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]
This is from an ECFR study which is worth reading in full. I was a bit sceptical about the ECFR in the beginning, considering they kicked off with a somewhat silly power audit of EU-Russia relations. But they are also producing useful studies and opinion pieces these days.

Another example:

The European Council on Foreign Relations: The death of NATO (by Nick Whitney)

NATO is dying; it's the common condition, of course, of all living things from the moment of birth. And as NATO approaches its 60th birthday next spring, there seems no immediate urgency about writing its obituary; 60-year-olds may reasonably look forward to another decade, perhaps two or even three, of active and productive life. Nonetheless, amidst the celebrations, it is time for some discreet reflection on the fact that `the old man will not always be with us'.

Human institutions, like human beings, can collapse with surprising speed once it becomes apparent they have outlived their usefulness. The dramatic dissolution of the Soviet Union stands as a reminder of what can happen to organisations when doubts take hold as to whether they still serve any real interests other than those of their own apparatchiks - and how suddenly such doubts can grow when they attempt to convert themselves into something they are not.

by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Fri Nov 21st, 2008 at 06:00:32 AM EST
[ Parent ]
That NATO piece could use a diary...
by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Fri Nov 21st, 2008 at 08:19:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Display:
Login
. Make a new account
. Reset password
Occasional Series