Summary: This article was basically about the natural gas company in Russia, known as Gazprom, threatening to stop supplying the Ukraine with natural gas. As an ally of the Ukraine, the United States has decided to step up to the plate and begin supplying the Ukraine with natural gas in order to make them more independent from Russia.
Analysis: This article seemed really interesting. I thought it really did a good job of showing how easy it is for resources to get pulled into arguments between governments. It has been a common move, as history shows, for Russian presidents to threaten to stop supplying goods if another nation-state does not comply with Russian rule or is at odds with them. The article also brought to light the issue of money and how easily people will slit their own throats for money. For example, the article mentions fracking and, aside from one small comment about fracking leading to the poisoning of some rural watersheds (no big deal, right?), the article talks almost approvingly of fracking, as if it will be a great money making strategy for the United States. For those of you that don't know what fracking is, it is a procedure in which fluid (a mix of water and various chemicals) is pumped into the ground at high pressure in order to break (or fracture) shale rocks in order to release the natural gas within. When natural gas is found, it spews back up, carrying much of the fluid pumped in with it. It usually takes between one and eight million gallons of water to do just one fracking job (what water crisis?). On top of this, as the article states, many people end up with contaminated water due to fracking in their area (If you've ever seen Gasland, you know what I mean). Natural resources and our usage of them are a pretty difficult topic to handle and discuss without bringing global politics into the matter, and unfortunately, the environmental impact of these fracturing procedures have been left out while Western countries try to defend the Ukraine against Russia. To me, it's quite a sticky situation. As an ally of the Ukraine, we cannot stand back while they are being bullied by Russia. At the same time though, I truly fear that this will just open the doors for us to implement fracking all over the United States or potentially in other countries.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/06/world/europe/us-seeks-to-reduce-ukraines-reliance-on-russia-for-natural-gas.html?src=me
http://www.dangersoffracking.com/
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