2. My desired position is: World affairs mostly, but I can be a jolly if needed/desired.
3. Any experience in this area? I've written for a school newspaper a few years ago.
4. My example:
Warm Winter For Ukraine
In early 2006, negotiations between the euro-supporting Ukrainian leaders and Russian-based gas enterprise Gazprom kept Europe shivering, not only because of the impact that the deal could have on their own gas bill, but due to the fact that gas supplies were cut short because of the very same incident: one of the main gas-ducts ran, in fact, through Ukraine, and due to the ex-USSR country's being late in paying the gas supply coming from Russia, that gas-duct was almost totally dry, leaving Western Europe in pretty cold trouble in the middle of a very cold winter.
The same situation could have presented itself again this winter, again because of Ukraine not paying the gas supplies it receives from Gazprom, the world's leading gas-producing firm.
A statement from the gas enterprise says that "The sides agreed a scheme for paying off the debts of economic entities of Ukraine for the gas supplied this year".
Political suspicions are raised because of the timing of the incident, only days after Ukraine elected new leaders, which, again, tend to gravitate towards the European orbit rather than the Russian one, and rumour has it that Moscow uses gas supplies to threaten neighbours. The Russian government denies this, citing the fact that price rises are merely the consequence of the end of the subsidies to USSR Federate Republics that marked the Soviet era.
So, is a warm winter for Europe assured for this year? Perhaps, but one always has to remember that Belarus faced a similar incident this year, even if President Lukashenko's politics are closer to Moscow than ever - meaning that gas supplies from Russia are never to be too sure of, and that Europe should invest much more in renewable and alternative energies, to reduce its heavy energy dependence on other countries.
In early 2006, negotiations between the euro-supporting Ukrainian leaders and Russian-based gas enterprise Gazprom kept Europe shivering, not only because of the impact that the deal could have on their own gas bill, but due to the fact that gas supplies were cut short because of the very same incident: one of the main gas-ducts ran, in fact, through Ukraine, and due to the ex-USSR country's being late in paying the gas supply coming from Russia, that gas-duct was almost totally dry, leaving Western Europe in pretty cold trouble in the middle of a very cold winter.
The same situation could have presented itself again this winter, again because of Ukraine not paying the gas supplies it receives from Gazprom, the world's leading gas-producing firm.
A statement from the gas enterprise says that "The sides agreed a scheme for paying off the debts of economic entities of Ukraine for the gas supplied this year".
Political suspicions are raised because of the timing of the incident, only days after Ukraine elected new leaders, which, again, tend to gravitate towards the European orbit rather than the Russian one, and rumour has it that Moscow uses gas supplies to threaten neighbours. The Russian government denies this, citing the fact that price rises are merely the consequence of the end of the subsidies to USSR Federate Republics that marked the Soviet era.
So, is a warm winter for Europe assured for this year? Perhaps, but one always has to remember that Belarus faced a similar incident this year, even if President Lukashenko's politics are closer to Moscow than ever - meaning that gas supplies from Russia are never to be too sure of, and that Europe should invest much more in renewable and alternative energies, to reduce its heavy energy dependence on other countries.
