Russia Doubles Georgia’s Gas Price

Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled energy giant has announced plans to double the price of gas for neighboring Georgia.

Russia has been having a tough time with its neighbor of late, following the Georgian arrest of four alleged Russian spies. Without a doubt, the price hike is meant to chastise the former Soviet republic for its anti-Russian attitudes. This tactic is not new — the same strategy was used in the Ukraine last winter. Since, the Ukraine, has been more aligned with Russia; this summer, the Ukranian government settled on pro-Russian Yanukovich, as its Prime Minister.

In turn, Yanukovich has negotiated a friendly gas price with Russia.

Energy as Foreign Policy

Because Russia has used its energy resources as a foreign policy tool in the past — and no one has been able to stop it, due to its great market share — European countries tried to reverse this imbalance earlier this fall. European ministers wanted European companies to have access to the Russian market and have these companies export energy back into Europe. For obvious reasons, Russia didn’t commit.