Damage to a major gas production facility could take five years to repair, QatarEnergy’s CEO told Reuters.
Europe’s insistence that it doesn’t face an energy supply crisis took a blow Thursday when Qatar warned it would have to scrap contracts with Italy and Belgium following a massive Iranian attack.
Personal Remarks
Satirical Game Scenario: “Poker Lessons for a Prime Minister”
Lately, I’ve found myself oddly inspired to design geopolitical mini-games—specifically the fossil-fueled kind.
Our protagonist: Belgium’s ever-brilliant Prime Minister, Bart De Wever. A man of many talents… though perhaps not the most streetwise, and—crucially—not a poker player.
The problem? He doesn’t seem to realize he’s sitting at a poker table while confidently moving chess pieces.
Different game.
Different players.
Very different consequences.
Across the table, the lineup is less confused.
Donald Trump plays poker—quite literally. The man built casinos in Atlantic City. Bluffing isn’t a strategy; it’s a reflex.
Then there’s Vladimir Putin—widely regarded not as a grandmaster of chess, but as a patient, cold-blooded poker player on the geopolitical stage.
And so, for Prime Minister De Wever, a crash course:
Game Rules: “Gas, Bluffs & Headlines”
- Every time a Belgian federal official (including De Wever himself) publicly declares unwavering support for Ukraine…
➤ +1 year added to the Qatar gas shortage. - Every time De Wever goes on record saying the European Union should immediately halt support to Ukraine…
➤ −6 months removed from the shortage.
Game Duration
The game begins tomorrow. It ends in exactly one week. One statement per day max
After that, the chips are counted…
…and the consequences become irreversible.
For the sake of Belgium’s prosperity, one can only hope that Mr. De Wever learns the rules of poker overnight.
Because in this game, it’s not about playing well.
It’s about knowing which game you’re actually in.
Source
Italy, Belgium set to lose gas supply after world’s biggest LNG plant bombed