Russia’s energy leverage on Europe: declining but still troubling (Chris Miller, Aspenia online)

Russia is an energy superpower, President Vladimir Putin is fond of declaring. For years, Europeans have focused on the threat of Russia’s “energy weapon” - the prospect that the Kremlin might cut off gas supplies, forcing them to toe the Russian line on diplomatic and security questions. But how much political leverage does Russia’s gas and oil really give the Kremlin? The reality is the political relevance of Russia’s energy has fallen sharply. It looks likely to decline further over the coming decade.

http://www.aspeninstitute.it/aspenia-online/article/russia%E2%80%99s-energy-leverage-europe-declining-still-troubling