Foreign Policy Analyst: Trump Promoting Natural Gas To Combat Russian Influence
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Foreign policy analyst Ed Turzanski countered critics of Donald Trump who say he was outplayed by Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit, telling Chris Stigall on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT that Trump is promoting American natural gas to Russia's detriment.
"Trump is pushing back against Putin's interests. Keep in mind, he congratulated the Poles for two things, one, hey, you guys are spending your two percent on NATO, that everyone is supposed to. More people are starting to spend that money since I mentioned it, billions more for defense, yay NATO. Second, congratulations, you're buying liquified natural gas from the United States, I want the rest of Europe to do it. Two things happen, Americans make money and the Russians lose money because it was Russian influence over the region. Every time the Russians wanted an advantage, if somebody in Europe said something, all Moscow had to do was turn the thermostat down in the middle of winter. Now, if you can get American liquefied natural gas to supplant what the Russians are doing, Putin's advantage ends.
Turzanski, the John Templeton Fellow and co-Chair for the Study of Terrorism at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, believes Trump's determination to promote natural gas is in a sharp contrast with the Obama administration.
"Donald played the trump card, pardon the pun, because he used the wealth of American natural gas, which was made possible by fracking, which Obama resisted at every turn. Did you notice where gas prices are right now? Compare them to the same time in the beginning of Obama's presidency. These are facts on the ground that have to be considered."
He also thinks German Chancellor Angela Merkel actively planned for Trump to be the target of protesters at the Summit.
"Look at the G20 actually produced, other than massive rioting in Hamburg. Incidentally, Angela Merkel chose Hamburg for a reason. She knew that there would be sizable protests against Trump. She wanted to rub his nose in it. Remember, she's in her own re-election campaign right now. She overplayed her hand because Hamburg wound up suffering horrific damage."