The US interests in the Nord Stream sabotages

Kassiopeija

Kassiopeija

Well-Known Member
Lucky Luke said:
February: "We'll do it."
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And here you see how even in January, before the war, Ted Cruz (and others) ring the bell for a NS2 sanctions campaign.



The Senate is headed toward a vote on a bill sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) that would essentially force President Biden to impose sanctions on a Russia-to-Germany natural gas pipeline. Mr. Cruz has a point about the negative geopolitical consequences of the pipeline, but his grandstanding about the issue is accomplishing nothing except to make it more difficult for the Biden administration to handle a matter that’s already complicated enough — Russia’s threatened invasion of Ukraine.

There is wide recognition, both in the administration and on Capitol Hill, that Nord Stream 2, as the pipeline is known, represents an aggressive geopolitical move by Russia, one that will make Europe more dependent on energy from Vladimir Putin, yet which Germany has pursued out of a mistaken sense of self-interest. Understanding that, but aiming to restore relations with Berlin that President Donald Trump had damaged, Mr. Biden waived sanctions on the pipeline company earlier this year, whereupon Mr. Cruz obstructed dozens of ambassadorial nominations in protest.

The impending floor action — possibly as soon as Friday — was the procedural price Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) paid so that 32 Cruz-blocked ambassadors and senior State Department officials could be confirmed. Under the deal, Mr. Cruz’s bill would need 60 votes to pass, which, as he knows, it is unlikely to get. So this is pure political theater — which seems fine with Mr. Cruz. He’ll be perfectly happy to lambaste the many Senate Democrats who have expressed opposition to Nord Stream 2 in the past, or even tentatively supported his bill, if they vote against it. “The only conceivable reason they might vote no is if they make the cynical decision to put partisan loyalty above U.S. national security interests,” Mr. Cruz told Politico.

Actually, all senators have a good reason to vote no, in addition to the fact that the Democratic House would not act on the measure even if it passed the Senate. Sanctioning the pipeline now would exhaust leverage against Russia that’s better held in reserve for potential use after an aggression against Ukraine. And it would embarrass Germany at a moment when its new government, which includes longtime Green Party critics of the pipeline, is already inching toward the U.S. position on its own. In fact, Germany has not yet approved any actual flow of energy, ostensibly because of regulatory concerns. The Biden administration has told some members of Congress that Berlin will suspend the pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine, according to Reuters.

Another reason not to support Mr. Cruz’s gambit is that senators have an alternative: a bill crafted by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), in consultation with the White House, which would require the administration to impose crippling financial sanctions on Russia and reconsider its Nord Stream 2 sanctions waiver in the event of an invasion. (The president could waive the law for national security reasons.) Supporting this measure would show solidarity with Ukraine — and add to NATO’s ongoing effort to deter Russia.

Messaging and symbolism are secondary, however, to negotiations in Europe, which on Wednesday included a NATO-Russia encounter no less inconclusive than the bilateral U.S.-Russia meetings that ended Monday. What hope there is for stopping Mr. Putin hinges on maintaining the president’s freedom of action and a united front among allies; Mr. Cruz’s mischief interferes on both counts.
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Horselover fat

Horselover fat

Well-Known Member
Roger A. Shrubber said:
This is how i see it, not being combative...They don't have access to the repairs and replacement parts the pipeline needs. Their production capabilities have to be slowly slipping, due to wear and tear on the derricks and pumps, much of the available trucking being diverted to military use, and a major man power shortage.
Then, they want to hurt Europe for supporting Ukraine. Just plain vindictiveness. They're using fuel as a weapon, trying to cripple the economies of countries actively supporting Ukraine, trying to lower public sentiment for Ukraine, to get people to blame them for being cold this winter...Damaging the pipeline is a way to accomplish that without having to pay for breaching all the contracts they would be obviously breaching

This is all supposition, but it seems more likely to me than America doing it to ....Do what exactly? Get Europe mad at putin? They already are, with very little assistance from us.
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One reason for Putin to do it would be to make it less profitable to oust him in the short run for oligarchs.

Edit: trying to figure out what russia gains is probably less relevant than figuring out what Putin might gain.
 
Roger A. Shrubber

Roger A. Shrubber

Well-Known Member
Horselover fat said:
One reason for Putin to do it would be to make it less profitable to oust him in the short run for oligarchs.

Edit: trying to figure out what russia gains is probably less relevant than figuring out what Putin might gain.
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in situations like this, i consider them one and the same...he runs russia, and his and his opinions about what benefits russia is the only opinion that counts...
 
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DIY-HP-LED

DIY-HP-LED

Well-Known Member
Roger A. Shrubber said:
is situations like this, i consider them one and the same...he runs russia, and his and his opinions about what benefits russia is the only opinion that counts...
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He's also fully responsible for the military catastrophe and economic ruin that is over taking Russia, with total power comes responsibility and blame too. Look at the state of Russia after 20 years of his rule and oil money pouring in, no education system, people in the regions in abject poverty and economy that has no domestic manufacturing or other technical capabilities and is a massive kleptocracy on top of that, he was a failure and a loser before the war began. The war was a stress test of the Russian military, economy and society, and they failed miserably. He exposed massive weakness and already his many enemies are taking advantage, from China in central Asia, to Ukraine and Kazakhstan, soon some Russian republics might become restive and want out of Russia and from under sanctions. Russia blew up the pipelines to get out from under contracts with Germany and others, they couldn't just shut the gas off without paying a large financial penalty. If Vlad ordered it shut down, someone might have thought it would be better to sabotage it and try and salvage some money.
 
DIY-HP-LED

DIY-HP-LED

Well-Known Member
Horselover fat said:
BTW Swedish navy ship patrolled the area few days prior to the explosions. They had their AIS transmitters off for most of the time, but turned them on a few times. Later they appeared near Kaliningrad.
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Well, they do get gas from Norway, but it would piss the Germans off too much I would think, freezing in the dark with their industries crippled this winter is not something they look forward to. Vlad did it, he has a history of such things and considers himself a spymaster of clandestine operations and master strategist! Jesus, even the Finns are thinking they could March to Moscow, if nukes weren't on the table! :lol:
 
rkymtnman

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
Roger A. Shrubber said:
really? i read he used to drink semen on a russian sub...wonder which is a typo? guess they both could be accurate...
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he did blame the attack on america. i don't think he has finished the paperwork yet to renounce his US citizenship just yet. so he might be correct. lol.

how the hells angels let that cuck speak at sonny's funeral is beyond me. talk about a jump the shark moment. lol
 
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