The crisis in Ukraine has renewed the call for the United States government to boost natural gas exports in order to aid allies in need and lessen Europe’s reliance on Russian gas. Gas exports, the argument goes, could even accord the United States potent leverage in a crisis like the one in Ukraine. Yet Ukraine is also a reminder of the limits of energy diplomacy: a review of Russia’s effort to cajole and punish Ukraine through gas since 2006 should serve as a playbook to avoid not a blueprint to follow. The United States should learn the limits of energy “weapons” rather than renew its dedication to yield them.
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