(MENAFN- Asia Times)
A sitting US president was abandoned by own party last week, which frustrated the White House on both foreign and domestic policy.
The failure of the healthcare bill is less disconcerting than the Russia sanctions bill, which prevents the executive branch from negotiating a relationship with Russia.
The Russia sanctions issue is unifying for German domestic political parties ahead of elections in mid-September. German dependence on gas supplies is significant due to the shutting down of nuclear. While there are rumors floating around that the US wants to sabotage the lines so the US can sell more LNG to Europe, at the current cost US LNG is not competitive.
The sanctions were not well thought through on any level. The political consequence of creating a situation where the Social Democrats, Left (former communists), but also the Christian Democrats feel that this has a good chance of fracturing the Atlantic alliance for good. It has no impact on German elections because both sides are fully pissed off.
Long-term benefits to Russia for this are astronomical.
The DailyBrief Must-reads from across Asia - directly to your inbox Comments
MENAFN3107201701590000ID1095672944
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.