See also: Top Saudi lets the cat out of the bag As Russia prepares to strut its stuff before the world at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, the economic foundation of Russian power and prosperity is crumbling, thanks to a strategic weapon developed by the United States. That weapon is fracking, and it is paying havoc with Russia's ability to exercise power on the world stage. Three articles lay out the devastating consequences of this technological revolution developed mostly not by a national laboratory, huge government initiative, or top scientists, but by guys out in the Texas and Oklahoma oil patches. The American Interest sums it up most pithily: North America's shale gas boom is chipping away at the market for gas producers like Russia. What's more, if the United States becomes a gas exporter, Russia's customers (especially in Europe) could decide to cancel expensive contracts with Gazprom in favor of cheaper American natural gas. Gazprom supplied 27 percent of Europe's natural gas...(Read Full Post)