West will have to accept Russia's Energy Agenda?

Some Russian pundits argue that Russia’s assertive behavior is an indicator of the tectonic shifts in the world economy. The essence of the deep geo-economic changes lies in the fact that Western companies that dominated the world energy market in the 19th and 20th centuries appear to be slowly losing political control over the sector. As time goes by, countries like Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, and Venezuela will account for an ever-larger share of world energy production. For Russia, this means the country’s importance will inevitably grow not only in terms of production of fuel, but also in terms of its transportation.

For the West, the loss of political control over the energy market means a serious weakening of its position in the world economy with a likely “prospect of the revision of global economic and, possibly, political rules of the game,” some Russian analysts suggest.

Seen through this prism, the West’s pressuring Russia to ratify the Energy Charter is a last-ditch attempt to prevent the final loss of control over the world gas market.

But these days, Russian strategists display an enviable self-assurance. The West will likely have to reconcile itself with the fact that its dominance in the global energy sphere belongs to the past, they contend. In the 21st century, the United States and the European Union will have to accept the “energy agenda” advanced by Moscow, one recent commentary asserts. [emphasis added.]

hrm. Sounds mildly ominous. Nuclear energy and hydrogen fuel cells sound better and better, don't they?