Seymour Hersh set the internet ablaze this month when he accused the Biden administration of orchestrating the Nord Stream explosions last September, but no one seems to be asking what I consider to be the most important question of all.
The Hersh article on Substack is a damning indictment of Biden’s plot to attack the Nord Stream system, which began long before Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. But it is also unfortunate. Hersh did not reveal any lurid details that we didn’t already know, and it all hinges on an anonymous insider source – which is fine – but it of course raises necessary doubts on the veracity of this source, what his intentions are, or if this is even a leak at all and not a deliberate information strategy.
But that isn’t the question I wanted to raise. On September 29, I wrote:
As counter-intuitive as it might sound, Russia is not the biggest loser in this situation. Russia lost expensive infrastructure that took years to build, and their most potent bargaining chip with the European Union, but besides that, won’t suffer for it. The biggest loser is Germany.
Starting in October, the new Baltic Pipe system will start bringing Norwegian gas to Poland. So Germany has not only lost a crucial bridge with Russia, they lost a bargaining chip with Poland, and everyone else. Poland no longer has any need for the European Union, they have all the tools they need to become the regional power that bullies Germany, instead of the other way around.
In short, Biden made it absolutely clear to Germany that they are at the point of no return. Cortes destroyed his ships to abolish any thoughts his men might have had about turning back, and Biden burned Nord Stream to deliver the same message to the Germans. Apparently, this strategy succeeded. No efforts have been made to repair Nord Stream (and surely the more time passes, the more difficult and more expensive repairs will be), winter will come to an end soon, and Germany has pledged tanks to Kiev, an escalation that will make a return to normal German-Russian relations that much harder. Biden gave Germany a shovel, but they were the ones who chose to dig.
What’s perhaps even more concerning about Hersh’s story is how he spells out the list of countries “in the know” about Biden’s upcoming attack. Norway allegedly played a key role in the operation, and insisted that Sweden and Denmark be informed in the early planning stages of the operation. The one obvious country that would like to know about Nord Stream being destroyed was, of course, Germany. But they were, quite deliberately, kept in the dark.
But the German reaction still isn’t the question I wanted to ask.
This is an act of war that was planned in 2021, and consider the other escalations that have happened recently. Sending Abrams and Leopard tanks, more advanced and longer range weapons, and special forces teams to Ukraine. Ukrainian pilots receiving training in the UK suggests that they will receive F-15/16 airframes at some point in the near future, probably in time for a summer offensive. But really, the Nord Stream attack is arguably the most significant event of all. Not only did Biden blow past his own red lines, he blew past his own red lines before he even spoke of them.
People love to ask how far Russia is willing to go, and if they are willing to use nuclear weapons. Well yes, they are willing to use nuclear weapons, and they’ve been quite clear on that point. What we should be asking instead – is Biden willing to use nuclear weapons to avoid losing in Ukraine? And to be clear, he is losing in Ukraine. His earlier offensives in the Kherson and Kharkov region cost him hundreds of vehicles and tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, but failed to inflict any serious losses on the Russian armed forces. NATO has finite stockpiles of weapons and munitions and Ukraine has a finite number of men and boys who can be conscripted for the meat grinder. Sooner or later, one or both of those resources is going to be depleted to the point the conflict becomes unsustainable without directly involving at least one other NATO country.
There is the idea that the globalists will accept defeat in Ukraine like they did with Afghanistan. That’s a comforting idea, but a dangerous one, because it excuses apathy. If western voters do nothing, the war will end by itself. But what if it doesn’t?
Ian Kummer
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I am unconvinced by the idea that NATO and its slaves will be deterred by the knowledge that they will likely lose any war they launch against Russia and China. Imperial Japan knew the probability that with its resource problems and its limitations in military technology it would in the long term lose if it entered WWII. But it did so anyway because the alternative was to abandon its colonial empire.
That’s my problem with western voters/public. They are passive. And I don’t expected them to be “pro Russia”, I just hope they have some understanding that nuclear war is not a good thing. Also, there is a huge misunderstanding of the Russian mentality. The West expected us to be meek, as Russians are believed to be. Well, Russians do have that reflective trait, we tend to have this “how am I going to live with this” internal discussion before doing anything dramatic. The closest equivalent is ‘conscience’, but “совесть” is a wider notion. So, the Western elites expect Russians feel guilty about defending Russia at the cost of destroying a large part of the world due to this trait of ours. But they are very, very, very wrong. Russians can be ruthless. For some reason resistance comes a surprise after pressure is applied on Russia. It’s ignorance.
Getting back to conscience and reflection. Europeans misunderstood Dostoevsky while many XX century western writers admitted his huge influence on them. It has just occured to me. The Crime and Punishment was about the punishment laying within all the time. Raskolnikov cannot live with what he has done and seeks redemption voluntarily. He is sick with guilt, it poisons him and burdens him 24/7, he cannot even use the gold he stole. But the novel starts with Raskolnikov being miserable and asking himself whether “I am a trembling creature or whether I have the right” [to kill, for example]. And..that’s where the European rational mind got anchored. They chose the “I have the right” answer. And that’s the large part of the XX century history.
I live in the west and I don’t want a nuclear war; no one wins a nuclear war. Who wants conflict anyway? I recognise human beings can be aggressive, abusive and exploitative- I think we can all be capable of this behaviour but it is not something to be celebrated- there are many other things to work towards .
“I think we can all be capable of this behaviour” okay sure but is this a call to action? what do you suggest?
That’s empty talk. It was good before the war started. It was actually good before Yugoslavia maybe. If you don’t want the nuclear war don’t expect Russia to allow itself being destroyed for the benefit of the West.
The Russians are in a way the workingclass of the world, the only whom must keep its possibilities to act, intact, against USA, I think the world´s workers stand by Russia,just since WW2, and trust Russia. The Ukraine war, is most about the overclasses interests, and shareholders in ordnance, but ordinary people are sane, and see what problems the US/Nato/EU cause, for their daily life, they don’t want to face Russia as an eternal enemy, but most people keep silent, afraid of repression.
There is no identification with the Kiev-rookie, and they blame the totally insane, and non-european US-actor, most people are scared of the US, violent attitudes, all their weapons, the daily murders, there, but this is Europe, what must not be destroyed, but the European Union is the main perpetrator, growing enough big to launch a big war, but most Europeans don’t care, and prefer that Russia will prevail, so that we can go back to trade and business. Most people must be disillusioned of Germany, a US-puppet, more than ever, what may end as contempt, for the Germans , as former Nazis, and now cowards.
https://youtu.be/WoPmXgz608Y
Ian, Maria, Commenters, I believe you will love this video.
Bless you all.️
♥️
Sy Hersh has blown up the Narrative!
Love how you say that Biden is losing in Ukraine. Believe it or not, there is still people who doesn’t see this as a NATO vs. Russia war.