Growing Concerns about Russia

There are worrying signs that five years of cowboy diplomacy on the part of President Bush and the lack of a real energy policy could be putting the United States in a difficult situation. There are consequences to our adventure in Iraq and the damage that has occurred to our nation's credibility. It's useful to remember that credibility has two dimensions: the value of one's word and the competence to get things done. With the exception of the current civilian leadership at the Pentagon, I respect the competence of our military. But when it comes to a nuclear power like Russia, the competence that matters has to reside in the White House and that competence requires leadership and diplomacy.

Here's a disturbing story about Russia using oil as an economic weapon against the Ukraine:

PICTURE the families shivering in apartments without heating, factories grinding to a halt, frozen water pipes bursting in the depths of winter. Welcome to the new Cold War.

At 10am on Sunday, Russia is threatening to unleash the most powerful weapon in its post-Soviet arsenal: unless Ukraine agrees to a fourfold increase in the price it pays for gas, Russia will simply turn off the tap.

Nor is it just Ukraine under threat — the EU imports about half of its gas from Russia and 80 per cent of that comes through Ukrainian pipelines.

So when President Putin met Ivan Plachkov, the Ukrainian Energy Minister, in Moscow yesterday, there was more at stake than relations between the neighbouring states. Analysts fear the dispute could provide a foretaste of how Russia will use its massive oil and gas reserves as a foreign policy tool in future disputes with the West.

Our leadership position in the world is not the same that it was six years ago nor the same that it has been since World War II. That position has eroded. Already, there have been consequences of that erosion. Maybe our leadership position in the world has been undeserved at times but it is unlikely that much of the world would look forward to Russia or China assuming that leadership without at least the moderating effect that the better qualities of the United States can have.

It is said that a president can only take on so many issues at a time. It may be time for Bush to wrap up his adventure in Iraq as best he can and start focusing on the changing foreign policy implications in Asia.