Foreign Policy: Freezing in the Dark

Europe's energy demands exceed what Russia can produce, and this latest cold front proves the continent has no strategy for fixing the problem. Is shale gas the solution?

It is getting to be a European winter tradition. In 2006, 2009, and now again in 2012, temperatures plunge, and Russia interrupts its gas supplies. But while this spectacle is sadly familiar, Europe's response continues to be hampered by internal divisions, Moscow-friendly European gas companies, and the Kremlin's clever machinations. 

Europe's deep freeze is no laughing matter. Heavy snow fell in Rome for the first time in a quarter-century, Venice's canals have begun to freeze, and temperatures in Ukraine have plunged as low as -32 degrees Celsius. As a result, more than 300 people have died across the continent.  MORE