"Shale gold"

A few years ago, the USA designed new technologies for extracting shale gas deposits the use of which had previously been deemed commercially unattractive. At the expense of shale gas production, in 2009, the USA beat Russia in terms of the volume of gas extraction. The tendency continued to grow in the following years. The development of a new sphere for gas prospecting had an immediate effect. The shale revolution had an effect on gas prices as well - gas prices on the domestic market have decreased four times compared to the year 2005. At the same time, transfer prices for shale gas in the USA are the third of the price of liquefied natural gas in Europe and the fourth of the natural gas in Asia. The reduced gas prices in the USA should trigger an economic boost and development of high power manufacturing. 

Besides, the USA has decreased its gas imports and stopped buying gas from the CIS and Middle East, as well as from Russia in the future. This has seriously challenged Russian energy giant, Gazprom, which  had planned to provide up to 20 per cent of the USA's domestic needs by 2020. Russia planned to export gas from the Shtokmanskiy deposit. However, the new circumstances led to partners in the consortium working on the deposit to suspend their activities in 2012. In addition, by 2020 the USA itself plans to start exporting liquefied natural gas to global markets, primarily in Asia. The USA is already discussing a number of legislative acts which will provide legal basis for exporting shale gas. 

It is without doubt that technologies which made it possible to produce shale gas can essentially change the idea of energy security globally and have an impact on international politics. The production of shale gas and shale oil will make it possible in mid-term to achieve self-sufficiency in terms of the USA's domestic energy needs. Apart from this, other countries plan to develop their shale reserves. This is especially relevant to Europe and China. 

The ability to meet their energy needs will enable these countries to significantly decrease their dependence on foreign supplies, to partially or fully guarantee energy independence and develop new tendencies for satisfying their needs. Such a situation will have an impact on the shaping of foreign policies of many countries on the regional and global levels. 

In principle, changed perception and formation of the USA's foreign policy will have global reverberations. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the USA is the only superpower in the world and has a direct impact on the preservation of the global order and development. Especially during the presidency of George W. Bush, the USA actively set about promoting its values such as democracy and human rights. At the same time, instruments with which these values were promoted were diverse, depending on the regions and countries - from financial support to military intervention. Nevertheless, military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan showed that the USA's capacities are not limitless. The USA did not expect that these countries would put up such resistance. After over 10 years, it still has not fully achieved what it intended to achieve. In addition, costs of military operations in these countries was one of the causes of the financial crisis in the USA.

The Obama administration received the hard legacy of unresolved problems in the Middle East and a difficult economic situation at home. The financial crisis further exacerbated the situation in the country: by the end of the year 2012, the USA's public sector debt was 16.4 trillion dollars. Under the circumstances, the main goals of the Obama administration were to cut the USA's military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan and to improve the economic situation in the country. For this, in 2013 they started withdrawing the US troops from the military zones. As for the financial situation, the Congress decided to cut the country's budget deficit to 1.2 trillion dollars in the course of 10 years. The situation forces the USA to reduce its involvement on the international scene. Previously, to preserve hegemony in the world it was necessary to ensure stable imports of energy resources which required more active presence in oil and gas-rich countries. Now with the start of the shale gas and oil production the USA can pursue a more moderate policy. This is what the country's national interests demand. Reduction of its involvement in global politics will enable the USA to address structural problems. We certainly do not mean that the USA may fully be isolated from the outside world - we only mean that it may reduce its current involvement. The USA will continue to be present in important regions and, if necessary, control the situation in these regions. However, the degree of intervention will be significantly reduced. Either this will happen through various measures of encouragement or sanctions, or through the implementation of goals jointly or through the help of regional allies. The USA has already started withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan and Iraq; it imposed political sanctions against Iran instead of engaging in a military campaign against it; it supported France's and Mali's campaign and initiated a warming in the relations between Turkey and Israel, its two allies in the Middle Eastern region. 

As it reduces its dependence on outside energy resources, the USA will build its foreign policy on the basis of oversight, rather than intervention. Through the help of its allies it will create regional agencies which it will support in strict compliance with its own interests. Such a policy will enable the USA to preserve the superpower status while at the same time reducing its expenditures and consequently, address its economic problems. The shale revolution will enable the USA to pragmatize its moves on the global scene, to optimize benefits and reduce costs.