by Oui
Sat Oct 22nd, 2022 at 05:57:03 PM EST
My recent diary ...
German Dissent Cause for Sabotage Pipelines?
By destruction of Nord Stream 1 and 2, the United States and/or a NATO ally succeeded in destruction of an off-ramp for de-escalation of the Ukraine crisis. Listening to national security experts from the States there is only a way forward to go for the "kill" of Putin's demise and the annihilation of the Russian Federation, a Republic crossing eleven time zones.
Is Macron just fu*king stupid? Didn't he get Joe's script to bash Russia and win the Mid-terms. #texas #lng #koch
France, the latest--and largest--country to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty, has switched from being a net exporter of energy last year, to being a net importer of energy this year, after problems with its nuclear fleet surfaced.
To compensate for its declining nuclear fleet and Russia's complete halt of natural gas shipments into the country, France has turned to the United States for LNG--only Macron is unhappy with the price it's paying.
U.S. natural gas exports to France increased 421% during the first eight months of 2022--but the value of that LNG increased by 1094% in August alone due to the higher prices of LNG.
Jérôme a Paris on EU Energy Charter Treaty
When will we learn? Sometimes toughness is just stupid | by Jerome a Paris on Jan 28th, 2007 |
It's hard to avoid thinking that some people are stupid and that they will never learn, when they keep on proposing the same solutions over and over again, despite obvious failure in previous attempts. Trouble is, these people are still in power - or in positions of influence.
I'm not talking about the neocons on Iraq or Iran, nor about the neolibs on Social Security privatisation, labor market "reform" or trickle down, but it's the same kind of behavior.
No, in this case, I worry (again) about the growing body of institutional support for "toughness" against Russia on gas matters. A lot of people have discovered in the past year that Europe's dependence on Russian gas was growing, and have begun to panic. The result has been increasing stridency and hostility against Russia, or coldwaritis, as exemplified by the latest opus from the CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies, a well known think tank), written by former ambassador to Lithuania Keith Smith.
The full text of his article can be downloaded from here, but I'll focus only on his list of recommendations for the EU. It's scary.
Thank God (for NATO) - we're at war with Russia | by Jerome a Paris on Dec 28th, 2006 |
The only country in the world where oil companies have not been "bullied" into more favorable terms for the host country is the USA - that reflects the changed balance of power between oil companies and host countries in each case - and suggests that the US government is the weakest and the least able to face oil companies.
Keynote Speaker Keith Smith
Nord Stream and European Energy Security | Jamestown - Nov. 15, 2017 |
The Nord Stream project would bypass a number of key U.S. allies in Central-Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, potentially eliminating Ukraine as a major transit route to Europe.
The project presents a dilemma for the European Union, which will have to find a consensus among its members to protect its energy security and anti-monopoly policies. It would also undermine the expansion of U.S. LNG supplies to Europe, if Gazprom starts dumping gas prices to undercut the budding spot market and unfairly compete with American LNG companies.
The expert speakers convened for "Nord Stream and European Energy Security" provide a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the Russian objectives, European responses, and American policies related to this large project.
Polish EU Parliament member on Nord Stream explosion: "Thank you, USA" | Al Mayadeen - Sept. 28, 2022 |
Sikorski tweeted "Thank you USA," along with a picture of the massive gas spill in the Baltic Sea. Off the shore of the Danish island of Bornholm, both pipelines sustained significant damage in what is now largely seen as a premeditated attack.
Later, Sikorski tweeted in Polish that if Russia wants to continue supplying gas to Europe, it must "talk to the countries controlling the Brotherhood and Yamal gas pipelines, Ukraine and Poland."
Analysis of Changes in Natural Gas Physical Flows for Europe via Ukraine in 2020
Qatar on Europe's Energy Crisis
