From this year forward, longtime U.S. ally Saudi Arabia will supply more oil to China than the U.S. In 2010, the Middle East and Saudi Arabia accounted for 18% and 12% of U.S. crude oil imports, respectively. That same year, 46% of China’s crude oil imports originated in the Middle East and 19% came from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. While U.S. demand for oil has plateaued, China’s demand is expected to increase rapidly for at least the next two decades.

On January 26th, a group of eco-activists draped a banner designed to look like thick oozing oil over the façade of Shell Headquarters in the Hague. It read, “Shell, let’s go clean Nigeria!”, and was hung on the same day that the Dutch parliament scheduled a hearing to examine what Amnesty International and environmental groups alleged were the extremely hazardous environmental practices of the company. Shell simply denied the accusations, and went as far as declining to pay the $100 million fine to support victims of its operations in Nigeria.

Russia has recently emerged as an important ally of the United States. Not only does the United States need Russian assistance in dealing with uncooperative states and in a supporting role in Afghanistan, but Europe is also finding Russian cooperation to be extremely useful. As the United States and NATO seek Russian assistance in several global regions, these states and institutions are recognizing that Moscow is no longer as dependent on their support as it once was.