PrintJanuary 15, 2011
Why Russia Is No Friend of America
Is Russia a potential ally for the United States?G. Murphy Donovan recently argued on AT that Russia is such a great partner of the United States that it could be admitted to NATO. To back his assertion up, he provided a number of "reasons," including Harley Davidson motorbikes and Russian women.Donovan argues that Russia, with a balanced budget, very low public debt, and huge reserves of oil and natural gas, is a rich uncle the U.S. could use. Does he really want the U.S. to be dependent on Russia for loans and fossil fuels? Isn't America already exposed enough, beholden as it is to the OPEC cartel and to China and Japan?The Russian economy is a colossus with feet of clay; it is more dependent on revenue from oil and natural gas than it was during the 1990s or than the Soviet economy was during the Cold War. Ditto the Russian federal budget, which is based on the assumption that oil costs no less than 60 USD per barrel.Donovan has suggested that...(Read Full Article)
