BIDEN FRONTS CRAFTY GEOPOLITICAL MOVE BY GRANTING "ALLY" STATUS TO QATAR

"Hi there, Shakey guy, let's sign this gas paper ally 

thingy. Nearly time for my toilet break, buckeroo."

As Colin Liddell pointed out in 2014, Russian geopolitical power is multiplied or divided by how much oil and gas it controls diplomatically. In fact Russia's entire foreign policy, beyond its immediate borders, is based on this principle -- alliances with Iran, Syria, and Venezuela, plus friendly moves towards Saudi Arabia and Iraq. 

The more carbon energy producers it can line up on its side, the more powerful it becomes. We have seen how this power is being leveraged in the Ukraine crisis, forcing Germany and many other NATO members to sit on their hands.

However, the latest move by the Biden administration to grant Qatar "major non-NATO ally" status undercuts Putin's power.

As reported by Reuters:

President Joe Biden promised Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, on Monday [Jan 30] that he will soon designate Qatar as a major non-NATO ally, granting special status to a key friend in a turbulent region.

During a meeting in the Oval Office, Biden said he planned to notify the U.S. Congress soon of the designation, which is granted by the United States to close, non-NATO allies that have strategic working relationships with the U.S. military.

“Qatar is a good friend and reliable and capable partner. And I’m notifying Congress that I will designate Qatar as a major non-NATO ally to reflect the importance of our relationship. I think it’s long overdue," Biden told reporters with the emir sitting at his side.

This is not really about what "great, stand-up guys" the Qataris are. They aren't. But the Gulf State is the world's largest supplier of liquefied natural gas. By making it an "ally," the US government ensures a reliable alternative supply of gas in case Putin tries to blackmail European governments by withholding Russian gas. 

Qatar is also useful as a middleman with Iran, where the US is working to cause a split between Russia and Iran to further weaken Russian geopolitical energy power, which, as pointed out above, is strongest when it is multiplied by a "cartelisation" effect of oil and gas powers. 

So, why doesn't Qatar join in this cartelisation and boost its own carbon power? The reason is because it is a small and militarily weak state, surrounded by big unreliable neighbours. It needs a protector and the US provides the perfect answer.

This shows that the US Government still has some bright people working behind the scenes who have figured out what Russia is up to.