The Anatomy of Germany's Reliance on Russian Natural Gas

A misleading exercise in chest beating. Germany may have -or had- a major coal industry, but it doesn't have oil and gas resources, yet, like Japan which shares its natural energy deficits, has been one of the most successful industrial states since the last quarter of the 19th century. Even before the start of the 2nd World War, for example, 37-40% of its oil imports came from Romania, which was a good enough reason to establish a presence there with a compliant government. Add in the complex relationships that Germany has had with Russia and you can at least get beyond Spiegel's superficial drivel that Germany has been played by Putin.

Decision makers in industries like oil and gas plan agreements that will last 25-50 years -anyone signing a deal with Russia in 2000, say, would assume that Putin will not be there in 2030 or 2050, while in the interim, just about everyone with some capital dashed into Russia in the 1990s to get their hands on whatever there was, and many were later bought out in handsome fashion when their particular game was up.

Now consider that with such an influential Green Party, it is no surprise that Germany's energy profile seek a major reduction of emissions villain coal, with nuclear energy after Chernobyl was too much of a risk -this may be an error, but the UK has also made it.

And, who has the largest supplies of natural gas? Russia, Qatar and Iran. Dare one suggest that had 'the West' not decided Iran is a threat, that it could have nurtured its reformist governments and signed deals rather than sanctions to export gas to everyone's benefit? It seems 'the West' must dictate to Iran what it's defence policy should be, while Trump' s catastrophic and brainless decision to withdraw from the Iran Nuclear Agreement has played its own role in buttressing Putin to some extent.

There may well be a revised energy policy in Germany over the next 12 months, but it is foolish to blame the leaders of the past for acting rationally, not least when many view Putin's excursion into the Ukraine irrational and more damaging to Russia than the rest of the world. These issues too complex for Der Spiegel, not that anyone is surprised at the low quality of its journalism.