Affable donut -or- Crushing vise?

Sometimes things move fast, per the EU-Observer:

A major new gas pipe connecting Russia to Germany will be up and running by 2011 Russia predicts, with Paris expected to join Berlin in giving the scheme political backing inside the EU.

"The need to diversify routes of supplying gas from my country to EU member states has been underlined by this crisis," Russia's EU ambassador, Vladimir Chizhov, told EUobserver on Tuesday (20 January), as Russia's transit deadlock with Ukraine came to an end.

"The Nord Stream project will now be expedited and I believe that in early 2011 it will able to provide gas," he added.

His Excellency the ambassador is entirely correct in calling for the diversification of energy routes into the European Union. What His Excellency fails to mention is the flip-side of the very same coin, diversification of energy sources into the European Union.

The easy thing to do is shake tiny fists of rage at Russia for not being a dependable source of energy. This dance takes two. Russia, now and in the future, is merely putting their own national interest and goals in the forefront of this somewhat pressing issue.

It is the European Union who is truly acting poorly in this current and future saga. A "union" is defined as:

a. The act of uniting or the state of being united.
b. A combination so formed, especially an alliance or confederation of people, parties, or political entities for mutual interest or benefit.

Those European Union members who will "benefit" from the Nord/South Stream pipelines must know they are hanging fellow European Union members (Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) out to dry post-2011. The failure to recognise this reality, the failure to even mention this reality, and the failure to plan for this reality will further belie the hollow notions of "solidarity" and "union" in the European Union. In short, the continued failure of leadership.

Again, do not turn east and shake tiny fists of rage at Russia, they are playing the long game of national interest and strategic planning. Moscow is not playing tricks, no hiding, completely transparent and upfront as to how this will play out. In the meantime Brussels is playing right into their hands.