Is the U.S. seeking to contain Russia - Research Paper Example

CON: No the U.S. is NOT seeking to contain Russia because: 1. Diversification of natural supplies is beneficial for all countries involved. 2. Russia has a strong position in the global energy market. 3. Diversification enhances the opportunity for competition. 4. Russia is also fully aware of the economic realities and acts accordingly. 5. European continent is capable of managing its own affairs and dealing with any threat imposed by Russia. 6. Russia’s position is increasingly being weakened by the revolution of shale gas, as well as the increasing popularity of LNG.

Some people might think that the US government is presently instituting efforts to ensure its dominance and control on Russia. Recent news reports indicate that the US government is presently placing immense pressure on the Greek government to cancel the sale of its famous gas operator, DEPA to Gazprom, which is a major oil supplier in Russia. The US is immensely concerned that the massive Russian state-owned gas company that is a monopoly that supplies at least 90% of Greece’s entire gas consumption.

This is bound to further augment Russia’s position in the region, and detrimentally affect Greece’s overall economic situation. This will place Russia in a position of extreme power, which may enhance the country’s supremacy in the greater European region (Lynch 99). In addition, the US is seeking to exert its control on Russia in order to deter the latter country’s instigation of communism in the European region. Russia was a former super power whose dominance in the region was deterred through the use of military force.

Capitalist countries such as the US initiated conflict with Russia in order to deter Russia’s supremacy in the European region and ultimately the infiltration of communism in the rest of the world. Therefore, the US seeks to control Russia in order to deter Russia’s dominance in European or the rest of the world. This position would threaten US supremacy in the global political, economic and social front (Escobar 10). The US is also concerned that Russian company Gazprom’s acquisition of DEPA would enhance Moscow’s position in the complicated geopolitical game, hence enhancing the opportunities of Russia’s South Stream pipeline turning into the primary source of imported oil in the entire Southern European region.

This would detrimentally affect major oil alternatives that enjoy US favor, for instance the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline and Nabucco pipeline (Barylski 12). Moreover, Greece is not the sole member of the European Union, which is presently subject to US lobbying regarding Russia’s assumed ambitions within the European continent. The same efforts have been adopted concerning the Czech Republic regarding its nuclear energy plans. The government of the Czech Republic is presently aiming at capitalizing onanti-nuclear energy sentiment within the neighboring countries, Austria and Germany, which was triggered by the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

The Czech Republic is presently seeking to modernize and expand its Temelin plant, with two additional reactors expected to be added by the year 2025 at the cost of $10 billion. This will allow for the increase of exports to other European countries. At present, there are only two key bidders for Czech Republic’s nuclear energy; the Westinghouse domiciled in the US and Amtomstroyexport, which is located in Russia. In January of 2013,