No ‘winter of discontent’ for West. But energy realities still hit home.
This was supposed to be the West’s winter of energy discontent.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, world oil prices soared and Moscow choked off almost all the natural gas that it fed to Europe. But the resulting energy crisis did not go as Russian President Vladimir Putin planned.
Far from splintering the West, the war has united it. Oil prices have retreated, a current warm spell is easing demand, and natural gas from Qatar and the United States is flooding into Europe, making this winter – while still very difficult and expensive for the continent – more manageable so far than many could have imagined when war broke out last February.
The war has also united the world around the idea that energy security is paramount. It remains integral to geopolitics and can trump climate worries. In the process, the war
