Opinion: Germany, Russia, Nordstream 2 and the “war” in Ukraine

By Hadmut Danisch, opozitia.net

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – (Opinion) The Ukrainian crisis has nothing to do with Ukraine. This is about Germany, and in particular, a pipeline connecting Germany with Russia called Nord Stream 2.

Washington sees the pipeline as a threat to its primacy in Europe and has tried to sabotage the project from the beginning. Even so, Nord Stream has gone further and is now fully operational and ready to go.

Once German regulators provide final certification, gas supplies will begin. German homeowners and businesses will have a reliable source of cheap energy, while Russia will see a significant increase in its gas revenues. It is an advantageous situation for both sides.

The U.S. foreign policy establishment is not thrilled by these developments. They do not want Germany to become more dependent on Russian gas. Trade creates trust, and trust leads to the expansion of trade.

As relations warm, more trade barriers are removed, regulations are eased, travel and tourism are increased, and new security architecture is being developed.

In a world where Germany and Russia are friends and trading partners, there is no need for U.S. military bases, no need for expensive U.S.-made weapons and missile systems,  no need for NATO, and even worse, no need for expensive US gas.

There is also no longer a need for energy transactions in U.S. dollars or stockpiling of U.S. government securities to balance accounts. Transactions between business partners can be carried out in their own currencies, which will precipitate a sharp drop in the value of the dollar and a dramatic change in economic strength.

This is why the Biden administration opposes Nord Stream. It’s not just a pipeline, it’s a window into the future; a future in which Europe and Asia are close in a massive free trade zone that increases their mutual power and prosperity, leaving the US out.

Warmer relations between Germany and Russia signal the end of the “unipolar” world order that the United States has overseen for the past 75 years. A German-Russian alliance is, therefore, anything but in Washington’s interest.

It is why Washington seems determined to do everything possible to sabotage Nord Stream and keep Germany in its orbit. It’s a matter of survival.

This is where Ukraine comes into play. Ukraine is Washington’s” weapon of choice ” to torpedo Nord Stream and put a barrier between Germany and Russia. The strategy is taken from the first page of the US Foreign Policy Manual, under the heading: Divide et impera.

Washington must create the impression that Russia is a threat to Europe’s security. That is the goal. They must show that Putin is a bloodthirsty aggressor with an unpredictable temperament. A guy you can’t trust.

To this end, the mainstream media was given the mission to repeat endlessly: “Russia is planning to invade Ukraine”. What is not said is that Russia has not invaded any country since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and that the US has invaded or overthrown regimes in many countries in the same time period.