Energy; the new Cold War
Fox warns on security of energy supplies
An issue which has been troubling me for the past couple of months has been the rather sinister way in which Russian energy giant Gazprom has been buying up supplies and claiming new gas fields as well as ripping up contracts with former partners, this coupled with Russia’s rush to turn off the tap that supplies it’s neighbours whenever they feel like enjoying a little more freedom and democracy must set the alarm bells ringing!
Yesterday Dr. Liam Fox, the Conservative Shadow Defence minister urged European nations to sit up and take notice warning that the security of energy supplies will lead to the next cold war.
“Two weeks ago Russia announced its intention to annex a 460,000-square mile portion of ice-covered Arctic. Scientists claim that the area, on which Russia has audaciously set its sights, may contain an estimated 10 billion tonnes of gas and oil deposits. While this ridiculous claim has no legitimate legal basis, the West must take threats like this from Russia seriously…….
Russia’s petrodollars are financing a $189 billion overhaul of its armed forces between now and 2015. They will purchase more than 1,000 new aircraft and helicopters, 4,000 new tanks and armoured vehicles and a new submarine fleet. New missiles will carry nuclear warheads. Western addiction to oil and gas is causing us to fund the threat against us.
Reports that Russia is now withdrawing from the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty will only fuel suspicions about Putin’s defence posture.”
He appears to be calling for Nato to take a greater role in the defence of energy choke points and considers Norway and Turkey as key strategic areas for additional defence. However, I wish he had been at liberty to suggest that more and more European states look for greater use of alternative renewable energy resources and to turn away from Russia’s supplies, we also need to put more faith in the use of nuclear powered generating stations.
We cannot allow our security to be tied to a Gazprom gas deal!
