The Raw Deal (8 February 2023)

Seymour Hersh may have reestablished himself as our premier investigative journalist with an extended, in depth, report on how the US took on Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 with the assistance of Norway and Denmark. It was the brainchild of three key members of the Biden administration: Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor; Anthony Blinken, Secretary of State; and Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary of State. The destruction of the pipeline--part of Russia's infrastructure, which is going to have devastating consequences for members of the EU--was an act of war and violative of the imperatives against taking out facilities that affect the lives of civilians. Here Germany and the EU were gaining access to cheap energy and Russia was making profits in a mutually agreeable commercial arrangement. Now that it has been exposed, we can anticipate a Russian response of its own time and choosing. The effect (which NATO wanted to forestall) would have been a major diminution of tensions between the EU and Russia, which almost certainly would have revealed the obsolescence of NATO and a loss of revenue and influence for the US military/industrial complex. I also discussed the State of the Union address by Biden and the mixed bag of non-accomplishments of his administration. A couple of calls about the differences (or not) between the parties.