Eyes Firmly Closed
How Europe has learned nothing at all about energy security
Although European politicians like to pretend otherwise, clever people did in fact predict the current energy crisis in Europe well over a decade ago. As Putin relentlessly consolidated his grip on power and purposefully built up Russia’s military capacity, clever people pointed out that European dependence on Russian hydrocarbons meant the Russian dictator had an additional weapon in his arsenal by means of which to control European actions.
Complacent European politicians, accustomed to leisurely meals accompanied by excellent wines, all at taxpayer expense, ridiculed the idea that Russia would willingly forgo the juicy revenues it was earning from its sales of oil and gas to Europe. Moreover, insulated from the harsh realities of life, the worldview of these overstuffed politicians was limited to arguing over the tiny nuances in thousand-page documents few would ever read. Their ability to grasp the reality of armed conflict was at best meagre and in general non-existent. These are the children of protracted peace and plenty, unable even to imagine a future in which lavish meals and generous expense accounts would not be sufficient to address every possible problem.
Moreover, Russia’s assiduous penetration of European societies ensured there were always…
