has begun creeping upward once again . For the first five months of 2016 , imports have accounted for an average of 27 percent of consumption . The U.S. oil boom is due mainly to advances in drilling technology rather than to any change in government policy .
The Netherlands , Bulgaria and the Czech Republic have followed suit with bans of their own . Other European countries , such as Germany , have very strict regulations on the practice . Fracking also has strategic implications in Europe , with US and EU officials citing concerns over dependence on oil importsmovement.transportartifact.receiveimportfrom Russia , which amount to a quarter of the continent ’s consumption . Contrary to the State Department ’s hopes , Poland never materialized as a center of the shale boom . Though there has n’t been as much regulatory pressure as in other European countries , foreign investors have pulled out due to wells not delivering as expected .
As an Apple executive told The New York Times , “ We do n’t have an obligation to solve America ’s problems . ” Donald Trump is right to worry about American sovereignty . But the real threat to our sovereignty is n’t importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentryor immigrants . It ’s global money influencing our politics . Protecting our democracy requires two steps that Trump and his leading supporters oppose :
In 2010 , Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren said that during the first two years of the Obama - Clinton administration , “ Israel ’s ties with the United States ” had reached “ their worst crisis since 1975 … a crisis of historic proportions . ”60 Some may recall how Mrs. Clinton betrayed Israel in the aftermath of an infamous 2010 incident where terrorist members of a Turkish organization known as the IHH — which has ties to Hamas , Al Qaeda , and the Muslim Brotherhood — participated in a six - ship flotilla of pro - Palestinian and anti - Israel activists who sailed to Gaza for the purpose of breaking Israel ’s naval “ blockade ” there . ( That “ blockade ” was , in reality , a policy whereby Israel insisted on examining all importsmovement.transportartifact.napassing through Gaza , so as to prevent the ruling Hamas government , which has sworn its permanent allegiance to the destruction of Israel and the genocide of Jews , from importing weaponry from abroad ) . The flotilla ’s lead ship was owned and operated by IHH . When its crew refused to comply with repeated Israeli demands that it submit to an inspection of its cargo , Israeli commandos boarded the vessel and were violently attacked by IHH terrorists .
" We have to make the effort to explain how we want to shape globalization in a fair way , " Gabriel said . Trump has opposed the White House ’s push for international trade pacts , alleging that such deals were shipping jobs overseas , and would harm the U.S. working and middle class . Trump has also often said that high duties targeting importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentryfrom countries such as China and Mexico would force companies to move production to the U.S and prevent U.S. companies from moving overseas . He also described German Chancellor Angela Merkel 's open door policy towards refugees as " insane " and predicted it would cause rioting in Germany . Pope Francis also weighed in on Trump 's agenda , suggesting Trump “ is not Christian ” because of his campaign promises to deport more immigrants and force Mexico to pay for a wall along the border .
Official figures state that food prices rose by 14 percent during 2015 . Experts and many ordinary Russians estimate the real increase was at least 30 percent . The situation worsened after the Kremlin slapped a ban on many Western food importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentryin 2014 during the height of tensions over Moscow 's annexation of Ukraine 's Crimea peninsula and alleged meddling in Ukraine ’s civil war . 3 . Taxes
Between 2006 and 2015 , it 's share of exports rose 88 percent . Most were destined for other Asian countries , including Pakistan . SIPRI noted that Beijing " is increasingly capable of producing its own advanced weapons and has become less dependent on arms importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentry, " which fell 25 percent in the recent reporting period . But China , wrote researchers , " remains partly dependent on imports for some key weapons and components , including large transport aircraft and helicopters , and engines for aircraft , vehicles and ships . " For the first time , China 's weapons exports exceeded those of France , long one of Europe 's top arms sellers .
He said Russia does n't need a new Cold War . The United States and the European Union imposed sanctions on Russia in 2014 after it annexed Ukraine 's Crimea peninsula and threw its backing to separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine . However , as Putin was delivering his speech in St. Petersburg , the EU extended some of those sanctions for another year , including measures targeting importsmovement.transportartifact.receiveimportfrom Crimea . On top of that , cruise ships from the EU can not call at ports there , in an attempt to hurt the tourism industry . When the EU first imposed sanctions two years ago , Moscow retaliated by banning imports of European meat , vegetable and dairy products , a blow to many of the bloc 's members .
That was n’t symbolic , although it could have been had someone set the trash on fire . Trump ’s entire plan to create jobs relies on trade protectionism – the single most debunked economic fallacy of the last two centuries , an idea so bad that it has largely reduced Latin America , which bought into “ dependency theory , ” to poverty and food riots . Trump ’s theory seems to be that if we increase the price of importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentry, make it more difficult for American companies to export , and punish American companies for locating overseas , this ridiculous combination of counterproductive policies will result in alchemist economic gold . Trump began by stating that the workers of America have been repaid for their hard work with “ betrayal . ” What , exactly , was the betrayal ? Was it the corporatism Trump backs ?
Russia is now the top crude exporter to China , the largest ( or second largest , depending on whom you ask ) oil demand growth country in the world . At the start of the decade , Saudi Arabia enjoyed a 20 % share of Chinese crude importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentry, while Russia was lagging far behind with 7 % . Now the Saudis find themselves neck and neck with Moscow for the lead in Chinese market share , with both performing in the 13 - 16 % range . But Russia 's share continues to rise , as The Kingdom struggles to maintain a foothold .
“ I do n’t need jets , F-16 -- that ’s of no use to us , ” Duterte said . “ We do n’t intend to fight any country . ” Since 1950 , the U.S. has accounted for about 75 percent of the Philippines ’ arms importsmovement.transportartifact.receiveimport, according to a database from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute . Russia and China have n’t supplied any weapons in that time , it showed . The U.S. would probably move diplomatically to prevent the Philippines from procuring a major defense system from China , according to Jon Grevatt , an defense industry analyst at IHS Jane ’s in Bangkok .
Environmental groups and energy experts were quick to find fault with much of what Trump said . Every U.S. president from Richard M. Nixon to George W. Bush has vowed to make the country energy - independent . Yet the United States — even after a wave of shale drilling boosted U.S. domestic output by about 4 million barrels a day — still importsmovement.transportartifact.receiveimportabout half of its petroleum needs . The prospect of eliminating imports altogether is slim , although they could be reduced substantially , as has happened during President Obama ’s tenure . “ Increasing domestic energy production has economic and geopolitical benefits , but strong and smart environmental protections are needed to clean up toxic waste and clean up the air we breathe , and those should n’t be partisan issues , ” said Jason Bordoff , director of Columbia University ’s Center on Global Energy Policy .
With the help of the U.S. military , Riyadh was able to impose a blockade , by air and sea , and commence attacks on their southern neighbor . Prior to the war , Yemen was already the poorest country in the Arab world and soon commercial stocks of food and fuel , as well as drugs and other medical supplies , were running dangerously low . By September , the U.N. estimated Yemen was receiving just 1 percent of the fuel importsmovement.transportartifact.nait required . Today , more than 21 million people in Yemen are in need of some form of humanitarian assistance and half the population suffers from food insecurity and malnutrition — figures that dwarf Syria ’s . In Sanaa , a Yemeni boy carries a weapon during Shiite Huthi demonstrations against Saudi - led air strikes , May 8 , 2015 .
The drugs Kuninskaya bought are foreign - made . She expressed hope that Russia would soon be able to produce affordable medicine of the same quality . The Russian government has tried to boost self - sufficiency in drug production by limiting importsmovement.transportartifact.naof foreign substances for pharmaceutical companies . Moscow introduced new laws last year forcing Russian companies to import less from European companies in a bid to increase the amount of Russian - made drugs on the market from 30 percent to 50 percent by 2020 . While there may be more domestically produced drugs in Russian pharmacies , many prices are , in fact , rising faster than those of imported medicine .
As an Apple executive told The New York Times , “ We do n’t have an obligation to solve America ’s problems . ” Donald Trump is right to worry about American sovereignty . But the real threat to our sovereignty is n’t importsmovement.transportartifact.naor immigrants . It ’s global money influencing our politics . Protecting our democracy requires two steps that Trump and his leading supporters oppose :
The great and the good in America agree , because they think being part of the ten - country AU will prevent war , boost trade , help smaller nations compete with the behemoths of Europe and China , enable free movement of people , stand up to Russia , encourage scientific co - operation and ensure environmental protection . Above all , we argue , it would show the world that America is not small - minded , xenophobic , protectionist and isolationist . To this end we think the AU should — er — agree a common tariff against importsmovement.transportartifact.receiveimportfrom the poorer countries of South America and have free movement of peoples within but not from outside the union . We also think the United States should give up the dollar and use a common currency issued in central America , called the auro , sometimes known as the oreo , or if it is not ready to do that , should encourage others to use the auro , even though there is limited fiscal harmonisation , which bodes ill for the single currency . Oh , and the flag of the AU , consisting of ten radial yellow stripes on a blue background , should be prominently displayed alongside the Stars and Stripes .
Shale has become a dominant source of fossil fuels in the United States , thanks to a controversial process known as fracking . It wrings natural gas out of bedrock in a process that was once not considered profitable for extracting oil or natural gas . The process is efficient enough that the country 's dependence on petroleum importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentryhas declined precipitously . We wondered if the Clinton team wants to shut down fracking and the natural gas it produces . Trump 's evidence
Photo In December , President Vladimir V. Putin told the nation that the worst of the recession — the economy shrank 3.9 percent and inflation hit 12.9 percent in 2015 — was over and that modest growth would return in 2016 . He has been pushing the oil collapse as an “ opportunity ” that will wean Russia off energy importsmovement.transportartifact.naand diversify the economy . Then in January oil fell below $ 30 per barrel , with no bottom in sight , and the ruble hit a record low of nearly 85 to the dollar before recovering slightly . Advertisement Continue reading the main story
As an Apple executive told The New York Times , “ We do n’t have an obligation to solve America ’s problems . ” Donald Trump is right to worry about American sovereignty . But the real threat to our sovereignty is n’t importsmovement.transportartifact.receiveimportor immigrants . It ’s global money influencing our politics . Protecting our democracy requires two steps that Trump and his leading supporters oppose :
For instance : The most egregious example of the administration ’s effort to slow down the sanctions drive came in late 2011 , when Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez openly chastised top administration officials for opposing an amendment to sanction the Central Bank of Iran that he had co - authored with Sen. Mark Kirk . Leading administration officials including Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman publicly expressed “ strong opposition ” ( PDF ) to the amendment , arguing that it would anger allies by opening them up for punishment if they did not significantly reduce their importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentryof Iranian oil . Clinton ’s top deputies fought the amendment at every step of the legislative process . Clinton ’s # 2 at the State Department , Bill Burns , even joined an emergency meeting with top senators to urge them to drop the amendment .
The project was shelved following the November jet crisis . Turkey , which is the second biggest consumer of Russian gas after Germany , imports around 30 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia annually via two pipelines ; the Blue Stream and the western line . The private sector in Turkey importsmovement.transportartifact.na10 billion cubic meters ( bcm ) of natural gas per year , representing over 30 percent of Russia 's gas exports to Turkey . Upon a question on Turkish - Russian joint investment funds , Cavusoglu said the idea came up during the Erdogan - Putin meeting to pave the way for businesspeople to take over major projects . " Turkish businessmen have investments in Russia and Russian businessmen want to make business with Turkish businessmen in several countries , " Cavusoglu said .
And the Venezuelan government has accused Washington of inciting conflict so it can take control of the largest oil reserves in the world . This even as at it continues to sell oil to the United States , which means by its own logic it is filling the tank of its imagined invader . The truth is , though , that while oil importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentryfrom Venezuela represent only about 9 % of American needs , the United States remains the biggest buyer of Venezuelan oil exports . Do the math and you can see why the government 's rhetoric is divorced from economic reality . Cuba , which blames the infamous U.S. embargo for all its problems , has managed to restore diplomatic relations with the United States after some 50 years .
“ So our missiles , even if they are standoff missiles so we ’re not putting our pilots at risk — you ’re going to kill a lot of Syrians . ” “ So all of a sudden this intervention that people talk about so glibly becomes an American and NATO involvement where you take a lot of civilians , ” she added . Clinton also noted that Syria had “ the fourth - biggest army in the world , ” along with “ very sophisticated air defense systems ” that had gotten even more sophisticated because of Russian importsmovement.transportartifact.receiveimport. The quotes from this speech were included in a list of excerpts of Clinton ’s paid speeches to Wall Street , which was attached to a January 2016 email to John Podesta , a close Clinton ally who now serves as the chair for Clinton ’s presidential campaign . WikiLeaks has published thousands of emails to and from Podesta .
The most significant element of the Republican Party platform , however , is what it says about foreign policy — asserting that the United States must subordinate the entire world to the interests of American corporations . “ We can not allow foreign governments to limit American access to their markets while stealing our designs , patents , brands , know - how , and technology , ” it proclaims . “ We can not allow China to continue its currency manipulation , exclusion of US products from government purchases , and subsidization of Chinese companies to thwart American importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentry. ” In the Middle East , it calls for forcing out Assad in Syria , going to war with Hezbollah in Lebanon , repudiating the Obama administration ’s deal with Iran , expanding the war in Iraq and unconditionally supporting Israel . The platform backs the arming of Ukraine against Russia and pledges to “ meet the return of Russian belligerence with the same resolve that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union . ”
2 . Falsely said , " We are now , for the first time ever , energy independent . " ( Wrote the Associated Press : “ For the first time in decades the United States gets more energy domestically than it imports , but it is not yet energy independent , as the country continues to rely on oil importsmovement.transportartifact.receiveimportfrom the Mideast and elsewhere . ” ) 3 . Falsely said , of Trump ’s talk of her emails , “ everything he just said is absolutely false . ” ( Trump made at least some correct statements , including that 33,000 emails were deleted . )
2 . Falsely said , " We are now , for the first time ever , energy independent . " ( Wrote the Associated Press : “ For the first time in decades the United States gets more energy domestically than it imports , but it is not yet energy independent , as the country continues to rely on oil importsmovement.transportartifact.grantentryfrom the Mideast and elsewhere . ” ) 3 . Falsely said , of Trump ’s talk of her emails , “ everything he just said is absolutely false . ” ( Trump made at least some correct statements , including that 33,000 emails were deleted . )
Among the recipients of that report was Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta , whose hacked emails were posted by WikiLeaks on Friday . In her remarks to Goldman Sachs , Clinton pointed to the Syrian government ’s air defense systems , and noted that destroying them would take the lives of many Syrian civilians . “ They ’re getting more sophisticated thanks to Russian importsmovement.transportartifact.receiveimport. To have a no - fly zone you have to take out all of the air defense , many of which are located in populated areas . So our missiles , even if they are standoff missiles so we ’re not putting our pilots at risk — you’re going to kill a lot of Syrians , ” she said .
Moreover , she says this would be in violation of international trade rules and Mexico and China would respond by going to the World Trade Organization , where they would win a judgment . Or they could retaliate against U.S. goods , such as agricultural products , which would " inflict great damage . " Trump would impose tariffs on some goods from Mexico and huge penalties on importsmovement.transportartifact.receiveimportfrom China , from 25 percent to 45 percent . These countries are cheating America on trade , he charges . But trade specialists note that he could n't do this unilaterally .