The American energy boom is not just bringing into equilibrium the trade balance — a phenomenon that has not been seen since the days of the Cold War — but it is also a source of tension with Russia and, therefore, in a sense, helps recreate the atmosphere of political tension between the two former superpowers.
The Egyptian army has enacted a policy of brutal repression, yet the United States' $1.3 billion in aid to Cairo has not been frozen despite Israel’s request for more American troops in the Middle East to restrain the influence of countries like Saudi Arabia.