The very first thing that Monsieur Poirot (and other world-famous fictional detectives) would ask when presented with a dead body is who benefits. Who benefits from the death of both Nordstreams?
Certainly not Germany. Der Spiegel lays out the coming catastrophe “The economy is sliding almost uncontrolled into a crisis that could permanently weaken the country“. That was written when the possibility that the gas would come back was still there.
How about Putin? To see a benefit for Russia one would have to ignore all the effort it put into completing the thing and all the money it spent. But the real hard thing to ignore is that the pipelines were a great bargaining chip. Moscow could always hope that, threatened with economic ruin, Berlin would defy the EU, NATO and Washington and ask for the line to be turned on. The Russians believe they are fighting NATO and Germany quitting the NATO camp would be a major victory. As Putin said, “just push the button.” That’s gone.
If not Germany or Russia, how about Martians? But Martians have always shown a contemptuous indifference to the affairs of Earth as is shown by their favorite expression “thick in atmosphere, thick in head”.
Household appliances give a clue. German companies make a many high-end appliances. They cost more but German manufacturing has the reputation of high quality worth paying for. It’s a niche and Miele, Bosch, Liebherr and others do very well at it. But all these things need energy to make and they’re not going to get it – “there is a risk of domino effect that could lead to the de-industrialization of Germany“.
Who benefits if the high-price high-value appliance market is open? Could it be, for example, General Electric? GE is a well-established company but it makes a lot of its products outside the country and of its 168 thousand employees in 2021, only 55 thousand were in America. It boasts a high number of “Made in America” products but the small print tells you that means “70% – 90% U.S.-based content. This includes parts, factory operations and wages” which can probably be further analyzed into “not all that much of our total product line is actually made here”. As everyone knows, American business executives have shipped lots of manufacturing outside the country. They were making shareholder value while Bosch and Liebherr were making refrigerators. Can they get the manufacturing back? Read this dismal account of American education and wonder how realistic it is to expect to regain the quality and quantity manufacturing America had 70 years ago. Added to which, most quality rating assessments put American products a notch below German ones so the reputation for quality and reliability is something else they’ll have to work hard to get back.
American manufacturers will get some of the household appliance market lost by Germany but consider what has to be done first. New factories built, workers trained, engineers found. But the biggest difficulty will be the management culture as described in Profits Without Prosperity. Does an executive suite that’s grown rich on Ponzi schemes looting its inheritance even know how to begin to make refrigerators? “Real engineering has been replaced by financial engineering“. More likely the downfall of German home appliance manufactures will benefit LG and Samsung.
Getting back to Nordstream, forget “bring an end to it“, “one way or the other“, “Russia will run out of cash before Europe runs out of energy” – only a conspirator would connect those dots into a disinformation picture. Also ignore “the primordial interest of the United States“. Irrelevant musings of people of no significance. US Navy operations in June, August and September? Unconnected coincidences – as Frank Drebin would say “nothing to see here“.
Unshakable logic leads to the only conclusion – South Korea, a manufacturing giant, will profit the most from the death of German industry.
But you can’t rule out the stupid actions of people who think they’re pretty clever.
I doubt Europeans will be able to afford South Korean products, they’ll do well to afford Beko, Turkish home appliance manufacturers.
Who does the USA sell their products to without wealthy Europeans to do so?
This hasn’t been fully played out by competent people, that’s for sure.
“This hasn’t been fully played out by competent people, that’s for sure. “
“The very first thing that Monsieur Poirot (and other world-famous fictional detectives) would ask when presented with a dead body is who benefits.”
Monsieur Poirot and his methods in respect of past events were the productions of a novelist whose experience was largely limited to research and writing novels, and hence your chosen example is not fit for purpose or context.
Cui bono is a question sometimes posed by “analysts” of limited ability in respect of past events, the question posed by “strategists” is typically “How to ensure that occurences aid our purposes ?” ergo in respect of future events.
“Analysts” are more prone to usage of of linear logic, whilst the activities of “strategists” are limited by reliance on linear logic, and this limitation is often facilitated by conflating “analysts/strategists” the outcomes normally being restricted to linear extrapolations of assumptions.
An illustration of this tendency is:
“To see a benefit for Russia one would have to ignore all the effort it put into completing the thing and all the money it spent.”
predicated on a belief that the analyst knows the evaluation criteria of those being “analysed”, instead of the “analyst” is perhaps relying on projections of his/her evaluation criteria.
“Unshakable logic leads to the only conclusion – South Korea, a manufacturing giant, will profit the most from the death of German industry.”
Hence your logic is not unshakable given that it is likely a linear projection of your assumptions outwith laterally changing contexts, which since lateral change is a constant whose variables include but are not limited to trajectories and velocities render your observations ultra vires.
Hence at best your contribution may be acceptable in gaining a certificate from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) not diploma level – for diploma level you would need to at least analyse what are the Unique Selling Points and how can they be facilitated in changed circumstances, which many manufacturers posed and concluded the way forward was to offshore production whilst retaining “intellectual property”.
However your contribution is also not of a sufficient standard to be presented as a viable strategy to experienced practitioners of strategy creation, strategy validation, strategic implementation, implementation evaluation, and strategic revision outside of the coercive relations misrepresented as “The United States of America” as a function of your methodologies, as is the assumption in
Ash says
29 September 2022 at 17:42
namely:
So this will be America’s third brain drain of European top talent.
You lost me at this point: “Analysts” are more prone to usage of of linear logic, whilst the activities of “strategists” are limited by reliance on linear logic …
That reads as if you are saying that analysts use linear logic, whereas strategists use linear logic!
You do realize this article is firmly tongue-in-cheek?
“That reads as if you are saying that analysts use linear logic, whereas strategists use linear logic!”
It doesn’t to some analysts and strategists: that is your interpretation predicated upon your failure to understand my usage of register, thereby emulating the lacunae outlined below.
Both “analysts” and “strategists” are in inverted commas to avoid absolutes since some “analysts” and some “strategists” seek to represent themselves as analysts and strategists without having the necessary levels of “expertise”.
Examples of false representations include but are not restricted to, Mr. Helmholtz Smith, The Saker, the Pentagon, the State Department of “The United States of America” and the CIA.
Analysts and strategist require certain skills and hence :
“However your contribution is also not of a sufficient standard to be presented as a viable strategy to experienced practitioners of strategy creation, strategy validation, strategic implementation, implementation evaluation, and strategic revision outside of the coercive relations misrepresented as “The United States of America” as a function of your methodologies, as is the assumption in..”
This is consistent with the interpretations of Mr. Johnson in regard to the CIA, and Mr. Martyanov in regard to the Pentagon predicated on lateral processes which have been ongoing since at least 1942 by OSS and subsequently the CIA.
It is a constituent part of the reasons why “The United States of America” continue to saw the branches they are sitting on, including the adopted methods in panic including the destruction of infrastructure such as North Stream 1 and North Stream 2, due to their inabilities of perceiving “What is for afters?”.
“You do realize this article is firmly tongue-in-cheek?”
Thank you for your illustration of one resort of “analysts” and “strategists” when their outcomes and hopes diverge, including but not limited to representing that their outcomes were the achievement of their purposes as in “Our purpose is to make “chaos” – “chaos” being a construct like infinity to obfuscate/represent “I/We don’t know”. affording opportunities of useful foolery.
” “The United States of America” continue to saw the branches they are sitting on.”
Examples of continuation i.e. reliance on linear strategies being:
https://strategic-culture.org/news/2022/09/30/farewell-to-sanity/
The 1982 occurence being in part a component in facilitating the ongoing transcendence of “The Soviet Union” by The Russian Federation.
Maybe you try to use more common language and not try so hard to be a linguist. Maybe then you could be understood. …. But for me….. whatever you say makes not sense and it is only goobly gook…. That does not impress me and is a typical obfuscation of an argument or point of argument.
I am sure you can do better …..
His interesting premise appears to be “who benefits” here does not apply but “how are our plans benefited” does better apply. A subtle difference indeed. About Poirot? he didn’t rule out the actions of (homicidal) maniacs. Thanks.
It is widely accepted that genius is the ability to state complex matters in simple terms. E = mc^2, F = ma ….
Cui Bono is a simple statement of “How to ensure that occurences aid our purposes ?”
two words.
word salad is obfuscation. no new job description o r title needed.
Let it stand dude. Cui bono?
“Let it stand dude.”
Some let it stand ocassionally to facilitate useful foolery as in 2014, as some “little big men” observed that some contrarians ride their horses backwards, which facilitated “old guys” sharing refreshments in a barracks in Crimea containing “Ukrainians forces”, precluding unecessary violence through communication.
I am truly amused by your analysis. With all those words you really don’t give analysis or your perception of who could have comitted this sabotage.
You state : “An illustration of this tendency is:
“To see a benefit for Russia one would have to ignore all the effort it put into completing the thing and all the money it spent.”
But you neither negate or affirm the validity of the statement.
I tend to agree with the author’s above statement, no intelligent person let alone the leader of a nation, spends the coffers of the state on a fools errand. It seems to me that Russians started the project at the request of German leaders, then the US administrations put monkey wrenches and forced the contractors to quit the job in the middle of the project and then Russians themselves finished the project in good faith only to find that the Germans back tracked on the purchase of gas. Since the Russians already turned off the outlet valve to the line what makes you think they saw the need to blow up the pipe line? If the pipe line is intact they can open the valve and sell the gas to Germans and make money. It is like a store owner spends a fortune buys the goods and sets the store on fire. (Assuming that the store owner doesn’t have fire insurance)
Your statement “So this will be America’s third brain drain of European top talent.” Could be very true however with the woke culture in US I would be intrested to see these pesky Engineers or talent fit into Chicago/NY environs. Even if the talent some how manage where would you find the workers I mean the grunts who have to clock in on time and do some useful work? Did you notice the supply of young people with card board signs around the street corners? Do you really think these guys/gals will get religion and go to work? Good luck with your fanciful thinking.
“no intelligent person let alone the leader of a nation, spends the coffers of the state on a fools errand.”
That was part of why they didn’t spend the coffers of the state or went on a fool’s errand, but still achieved return on investment more than sufficient to more than balance what others perceived as “costs”, on the basis that comparatives require common denominators,thereby illustrating the adjusted validity of Mr. Carlin’s observation of “Its a big club, and you ain’t in it” when extended to : “Its a big club, and you ain’t in it because you choose not to be in it, whilst others are attempting to coerce you to be in it.”
Mr. Brezhnev is no longer brain dead but almost wholly dead and fertilising his surroundings.
It is generally unwise to comment on conditions of contracts of which you to some degree are unaware whilst trying to bridge doubt by relying on assumptions.
Gotta love the holier than thou attitude ….it’s so refreshing in this modern simplistic invisible theatre that everyone uses as a vehicle for unleashing their ego weapons….please keep at it….it’s humbly needed!
Do you also calculate the trajectory of your turds in the toilet?
“So this will be America’s third brain drain of European top talent.”
Unless they go to Russia
what an absolute brain dead “EXPERT” analysys word salad.you get an A for vocabulary.
Sorry, but I believe that your comment could do with some linear logic itself or, at the very least, some editing for clarity. I certainly hope you realize that Larry’s article was tongue in cheek and full of sarcasm tinged with irony.
Thank you from South Africa Mr. Larry Johnson.
Goeie Dag,
Dankie Oom, Thank you indeed from South Africa, I was under the impression that very few of us South Africans read these articles. Good to see a fellow Saffer here as well.
Rather than who benefits, who suffers. Germany and the rest of Europe.
I have long argued that US pushed for war in Ukraine to create mayhem in between Europe and Asia in order to force Europe solely into US trading block and out of china block.
It has become fashionable recently to say that this is a US war against Germany (who are certainly the losers). That pretty much equates to my pov.
I have been reading German companies are relocating to the US? Don’t know to what extent but worth considering.
Also, what about those microprocessing plants planned for construction in Arizona worth billions planned by TSMC and Intel? Is the US bringing that technology back to the US?
The same problems apply. My business is in industrial automation and services to factories.
The Germans can build all the facilities they want but unless they import the manpower to run them.
Did you mean “The Germans can build all the facilities they want but they must import the manpower to run them.” ?
I do not see why not.
I believe that the really smart ones are relocating to Russia.
Many moved have already happened or are underway.
The Hegemon wants to control the World chip market, but it’s too late…
Russia already makes all its own chips for military use, if Andrei Martyanov is to be believed.
As to Qui Bono
It’s beyond obvious
Russian Kamikaze Dolphins destroyed those pipelines
Blessings
Slava Russia
L
The loss of Nord Stream I and II further escalates the war. How much more escalation will occur before the nukes fly?
Just ask Liz Truss. She’s “ready” to push the nuclear button.
GE also makes torpedoes. I observed their logo first hand on a torpedo in Point Loma, California. I was not submariner, a bubble head, but I was with a sub tender. That was in the early 1990s. One of I think only 2 exist today for the US Navy and the one I was with still exists as a sub tender.
The fear is more that German companies will leave Germany, whether to US or elsewhere.
If German economy goes south like alot of good European engineers they may end up in the US.
So this will be America’s third brain drain of European top talent. And it’s phenomenal talent. Just in time for Xmas. Those lights don’t fix themselves.
Love the Martians quip. Apparently Earth is also too up it’s own arse for Uranus.
Hope Larry’s home is ok!
Florida will hopefully do better than the Germans. If the Germans want gas now they have to fart it, and there’s a global shortage of beans.
seeing as most of the world is going along with Eurasia and not Western imposed austerity, it appears that America has decided it would rather deindustrialize and lock in Europe rather than have them go their own way.
Keep America in, Russia out and Germany down (now for the third time in about 100 years)
Most of the world is actually petrified of the US and slowly giving in to being brow beaten by the US.
The pressure is enormous. States are holding on right now by their teeth but if Russia and China can’t run enough cover you will see them sadly give up and fall in line.
Most of the world can’t fight a superpower and cant self sustain.
Don’t buy this Eurasia is all united bullshit.
Eurasia is scared. Africa is scared. They are angry too. But unless Russia can land punches and Russia – China can provide alternative systems and protection they are also finished.
Time is very very short. Setting up alternative systems is very very hard. Every week Russian allies are forced to concede ground. That is the unfortunate fact. Right now.
True. It was quite a timing, right after Kharkiv offensive, that several countries were suddenly going back on use of MIR card. The “secondary sanction” weapon is akin a radioactive nuclear bomb.
Cutting off the “possibility” of negotiations, and ability to prevent German industry from off shoring, was really a dirty move.
“The very first thing that Monsieur Poirot (and other world-famous fictional detectives) would ask when presented with a dead body is who benefits.”
Monsieur Poirot and his methods in respect of past events were the productions of a novelist whose experience was largely limited to research and writing novels, and hence your chosen example is not fit for purpose or context.
Cui bono is a question sometimes posed by “analysts” of limited ability in respect of past events, the question posed by “strategists” is typically “How to ensure that occurences aid our purposes ?” ergo in respect of future events.
“Analysts” are more prone to usage of of linear logic, whilst the activities of “strategists” are limited by reliance on linear logic, and this limitation is often facilitated by conflating “analysts/strategists” the outcomes normally being restricted to linear extrapolations as assumptions.
An illustration of this tendency is:
“To see a benefit for Russia one would have to ignore all the effort it put into completing the thing and all the money it spent.”
predicated on a belief that the analyst knows the evaluation criteria of those being “analysed”, instead of the “analyst” is perhaps relying on projections of his/her evaluation criteria.
“Unshakable logic leads to the only conclusion – South Korea, a manufacturing giant, will profit the most from the death of German industry.”
Hence your logic is not unshakable given that it is likely a linear projection of your assumptions outwith laterally changing contexts, which since lateral change is a constant whose variables include but are not limited to trajectories and velocities.
Hence at best your contribution may be acceptable in gaining a certificate from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) not diploma level – for diploma level you would need to at least analyse what are the Unique Selling Points and how can they be facilitated in changed circumstances, which many manufacturers posed and concluded the way forward was to offshore production whilst retaining “intellectual property”.
However your contribution is also not of a sufficient standard to be presented as a viable strategy to experienced practitioners of strategy creation, strategy validation, strategic implementation, implementation evaluation, and strategic revision outside of the coercive relations misrepresented as “The United States of America” as a function of your methodologies.
As CS Lewis used to say “there may be something in what you say”
So smart arse, who dunnit?
“So smart arse, who dunnit?”
As outlined in my comment you ask the question posed by “analysts”, thereby limiting perception of potential lateral strategies which are communicated through implementation and interpretations thereupon, illustrating Mr. Rove’s contention that – “We are an Empire, We create our own reality, To which other (Americans) respond”, whilst some strategists are informed by “Tell the truth, few will “believe” you” in achievement of outcomes which Mr. Rove failed to achieve by achieving “unexpected consequences”, as illustrated in December 2021 when opponents interpreted notices of intent as ultimata as a function of their misguided notions that others assign the same significance to them that they seek to assign to themselves.
Thank you for you minor illustration of “anger” since resort to emotionalism is always a disadvantage.
Your comments read like an AI troll bot that’s recently been fed a thesaurus.
You must be an academic. Trained in using the most words of the largest caliber to say the least, generally approaching saying nothing at all.
you managed to say absolutely nothing with your verbal diarrhea. The fact that you cannot grasp the obvious humor in Mr. Smith’s article disqualifies you from serious conversations. Now get lost troll
Right in the bull’s eye. When I was working in South Korea in the 1970s, their dream was to become a powerhouse like Japan. They would make garments, send them to Japan where a “Made in Japan” would be stitched then re-import them for the local market at a premium. Today, all my TVs and computer monitors are either Samsung or LG, none Sony.
The Sony stuff is mostly made in China now.
The young in Japan are way more interested in Manga, weird porn and video games.
Well, if that was their dream, they should have had more children. Too late now. Stupid gooks.
I am a Canadian. America has always tried to destroy single payer medicine, single purchase of pharmaceutical and legislative labor standards. I lived in the EU for 7 years it was utopia at that time. Free university, 6 weeks paid holidays at the start of employment, I could go on an on. America and England could not stand the holi poli being treated royally.
BTW https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._L._Mencken may have been cancelled but it does not mean he was wrong.
The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.
https://allthatsinteresting.com/hl-mencken-quotes
Now is up to the germans, where will they go? Asia, Russia or the belly of the beast… the US?
Some may go but most will stay. Then what?
non adepto demens, ut etiam
“Never give a sucker an even chance, da mudda fuckers!
How’s it going Germany? you feel-in that good old, “ Welcome to Murica.”
NS1+2 & business with Russia : Represented the greatest opportunity for the German people to obtain prosperity for all. German engineering would quietly develop and perfect Clean Energy with no power poles. It’s called the future.
PS
Want “Sauces” I recommend your local shopping mart. The Asian and Middle Eastern Spice and sauce section.
Woke spooks ! buy 2 ltr Tomato sauce bottles , salty, sugary and full of preservatives, for maintaining the narrative.
It’s a sad end to the 1950’s – from Elvis, Crooners and the Blues. In the 2020’s it’s gone from queers to sex with little kids and destroy everything, now.
I had a talk this morning about Americas past greatness. Go back a few decades and truly – despite its many faults – the USA was admired by most. Listen to “Heart of Glass” by Blondie: that was America! Confident, full of energy. The song was released in 1979; who was there to compete with? No one. But today? Check the list of tallest buildings: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings.
The world is changing fast, and the West has been resting on its laurels for too long; we’re asleep while the elite push their agenda to our detriment.
A old school buddy of mine worked for Radio Free Europe in Munich during the entire 1970s and the early 1980s. He then moved out of gov’t employment.
In the late 1990s, we were having a quiet fireside cocktail when he suddenly turned to me and asked;
“When did we start being the bad guys ?”
The most dangerous thing is the two party state system. US UK and others in the West are trapped because people don’t give third parties a chance.
A one party system is less dangerous than a two party system in the sense that everyone knows who is in charge and whats going on whether they like it or not and there are constant internal challenges and opposition.
The two party state, with never ending terms, is a hegemon and a time warp. It traps the nation state, captures it fully by the illusion of choice, and creates paralysis of ideas, culture and vision. Needing money to swing the pendulum and knowing it will swing, the two party state becomes increasingly corrupt and antagonist.
Add to this the revolving military, media door and you create trap within trap and closed systems inside open systems.
If you want to under the USUK, just look at who has been in seats of government and for how long.
The West can never move forward until it’s political system is changed from two party to multi or one. One is not stable.
As a former HK activist so aptly put it, “when the system is good, bad men can do little harm, when the system is bad, even good men can do evil.”
The West is trapped in a systemic crisis it can’t get out of.
Systemic change of bad or corrupted systems is never easy and never pleasant but in the end necessary for a state to move forward. Else it continues trapped in a never ending cycle repeating history and making the same calls.
That’s why the ordinary American looking at their government does not recognize it. It’s like looking at something whirling in a different dimension. The divide morally and politically between the state system and the people is so vast it’s like a parallel universe. And the citizen is left staring uncomprehendingly, unsure what to do, so indoctrinated into the two party state that they cannot break the attachment.
All systems strain under stress. The West is no different. I would guess there are huge tensions at the political level that we don’t see and the binding of the state to the people is beginning to fray.
If you want people to decend into chaos and anarchy, do great evil in their name and hold it to their face. The Germans have never been allowed to forget. So it has become a manipulative tool. To use and destroy them because at some level they have been convinced they deserve it.
The sins of the father becomes the stone around their necks.
It is truly a strange world we live in. Let us not forget compassion as mad play continues at peace.
Since Germans like other good whites pride themselves on believing the narrative du jour pushed by the media, will this harden them against Russia or will it start a process of German’s grappling with reality rather than adhering to the narrative?
The biggest benefit accrues to the American Governing Elite, they’re now in full control of Germany’s energy supplies, energy is the life giver not just for the economy but for life in general, it’s the manufacturing plants that need it as well as everything else including the households and each and every individual, energy is what makes things tick, who controls the supply of it controls the life and thus the sovereignty of a nation, Olaf has surrendered the sovereignty of Germany to the Americans, he coupled with a culture that’s on the way out, he and the German tribe will very much regret it.
Around 1850, the deposits in London’s banks exceeded those in all world banks, that was the peak of the British hegemony, it’s been down ever since for the country ruling once over an Empire on which the sun never set;
Around 1950, the US was owed by the rest of the world its annual GDP, that was the pinnacle of the hegemony of the American Republic, since then it has been a painful move south with her current debt-to-GDP ratio of well over 130.
Around 2050, if things carry on as they’ve done in the last 50 years or so, there will be another hegemonic power peaking, the burghers of which will unlikely speak English. IT’s this future top dog the Germans should have got closer to to ensure a prosperous future, sadly, they missed it.
I agree with this. Decoupling Germany from Russia, her natural economic partner is very much a key US war aim. The conflict is as much aimed at Germany as it is at Russia. Unfortunately, German elites do not seem to have woken up to this. Or they prefer to ignore it as being too tricky to address. Germany is yet again making bad choices.
The US empire has lost its dominance. I agree too that 1950 not 1990 was the true peak in overall terms. The so called unipolar moment and the earlier Cold War helped to disguise that. If the US cannot have world dominance though it is certainly doing what it can to dominate its vassals in Europe. We all need to wake up. Not just the Germans.
We in the UK need to get smart too but I fear that our governing elites are so indoctrinated and even corrupted by Atlanticism that it may take a generation. They also seem to enjoy behaving as though they are still running an empire. The alleged so called “special relationship” (which Americans never talk about, of course) enables them to think they are doing that. A very severe jolt would be needed to change things more quickly. But such rapid changes are not unknown in history.
Troubling times ahead. I used to be a supporter of the Anglo American alliance, having studied in the US and working with US anchored partnerships. No longer. We need to decouple before the US destroys us. The question is how.
“Troubling times ahead.”
That depends on taking advantages of opportunities, but not as perceived by Truss and associates, or Starmer or associates, or “representatives”, although some find
“How strange the change, from linear to lateral, every time we say goodbye.
The United States is full of filthy lawyers, corrupt politicians and judges pretending to be following the constitution, the rest of the population is on zanex if they’re working , the other half is either smoking fentanyl or popping fentanyl pills good luck finding a work force from those candidates! Thanks for what you do Larry
My comment from yesterday amended: Not off topic, stick with me. Looks like China will occupy Bagram airbase and with a military contingent. Remember the US troops cleaning the facilities before they departed and that bit of odd behavior was widely thought to be for the Taliban at the time. The current regime in Washington is ass deep in with China just below the surface and with the Davos Great Resetters just above it. Both outside parties have a shared interest in taking the US down a few notches. Ostensible opponents recognising a win win situation. Remember too, all of the hoopla only a year ago about this being the Chinese Century. And how, even in a multipolar world, it would be China with the biggest seat at the table. Xi has been needing covid lockdowns to keep the wayward provinces on track at home and Russia is all of a sudden showing up very big on the game board with a self sufficiency that China cannot emulate and weapons systems that actually work. They are suddenly a threat to the big seat. One should, at the very least, suspect a wink or a nod from China to the Davos co-conspirators running the US foreign policy terrorism and sabotage machine. Coy boner indeed.
Do the Koreans have the chops in terms of underwater demolition, and a way to get from there to ground zero unobserved? Or would this be a work for hire? One by one the “civilized restraints” get revealed for what they really are, as they slip away and the beast comes out… there are way too many players who “could” have done this particular stunt. And there are lots of largely anonymous players who could do stuff like cut the undersea fiber optics, or find a nice door into payment systems and all the other complex interconnections that let us live the way we hope to continue doing.
This is not some-guy-in-a-wan-full-of-explosive thing, but a state level terrorist attack. Only USA(UK) and Israel do stuff like that. Other countries are way to civilised/not-sure-in-being-right/not-greatest-in-the-world/not-chosen=by-god. I agree with claim that “there are way too many players who could have done this particular stunt”, because any number higher than zero is way too many.
German manufacturing companies looking to relocate could do a lot worse than moving to Russia. Up until this very moment, they probably considered Russia a mortal enemy and the United States a loyal friend. Such thinking needs a major readjustment.
Cui bono assumes rational planning. Therefore, South Korea, Japan, and China all benefit from German deindustrialization. The US is getting some benefit but since its industries have been hollowed out — not much. On the other hand, this operation could not have been carried out without American oversight. Of course, it was done by proxies — the Poles most likely. But Americans (and Poles) do not think long-term. The US is not rational but reactive. The attack was clearly a response to Russia’s enlargement into Eastern Ukraine, which will have immense benefits. The Empire is collapsing and like all empires, the provinces go first — in this case, the EU. https://julianmacfarlane.substack.com/p/the-new-war-in-ukraine
DO ALL MARTIANS SPEAK WITH A LISP? (THICK = SICK)
THANKS FROM YOUR ANUS CODE TALKER
On 30 Dec, 2020, the EU signed the China-EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, covering cooperation across a very wide range of economic and financial fields. 7 yrs in negotiation culminated in an extraordinary document underpinning the EU’s future integration into the nascent single Eurasian market from Vladivostok to Lisbon.
This didn’t take the U.S. establishment by surprise, and destruction of that agreement became an Imperial Imperative lest the US (along with “The City”) be marginalized by its own “allies”. Parenthetically, I believe that hi-level support for Brexit was born of those negotiations.
Besides the Quixotic attempt to weaken Eurasia’s military backbone, the UA war, sanctions, pipeline bombing, etc, etc is all about turning Europe into a poison chalice for the Eurasian Union-ists while draining its assets to the US. Europe is now learning Kissinger’s lesson: “To be America’s enemy is dangerous, but to be its friend is fatal.”
What this all means is that (at some level) the US has come to grips with the idea that its dreams of Global Hegemony are already wrecked and its only option is to gather enough economic heft to save a seat for the Imperial Core at the table of Great Powers by draining its vassals.
The great German industrial concerns like Siemens, Bosch, BASF, Mercedes, etc etc won’t just throw the keys over the fence and die, they’ll move. Where will they move? Some may indeed head East, but the vast majority will go West to Make America Great Again. We can expect likewise from the French and Italian industrial concerns.
Blowing up NS1&2 closed all their options for staying where they are, and for keeping the EU’s politicians’ and peoples’ European Dreams intact. Europe has been cut adrift without provisions to fend for itself as best it can in uncharted waters.
From Pepe Escobar:
The conversation will take place within the calculus of power. That it is taking place at American request indicates that its braintrust acknowledges and respects Russian power, allowing a deal between equals to be made. As the Athenians said to the Melians who tried to invoke moral principles in their negotiation:
“… you know as well as we do that right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they will and the weak suffer what they must.” Thucydides
While all of this works itself out, we can expect any number of factions and rogue players with other ideas to try to bend trajectories to their agenda by any means available. This decade will be a bumpy ride.
“I believe that hi-level support for Brexit was born of those negotiations.”
Perhaps I could suggest that your hypotheses should be extended from support to Brexit design, implementation and present/hoped for future outcomes?
The “snakes” are gobbling their own tails/tales, a linear fall back always being return to 1945 to 1950 and Oceania – forgetting that time and tide wait for no man/woman -so the complicity of Eurasia in mutual support is no longer a sustainable option since Eurasia is engaged in lateral processes in transcendence of Oceania.
“This decade will be a bumpy ride.”
Until Oceania is transcended every decade will be a bumpy ride of varying intensity trending towards dissolution, as illustrated by oscillating suspension bridges in hurricanes.
This guy is a serious troll. If we look at the last paragraph, one gets the feeling the text is computer generated: “trending towards dissolution… etc.” Clever sounding bites pasted to mean nothing.
I don’t think the US sees it’s days as a global hegemon are over at all. And they are correct. For now.
I also think the behavior of the the EU, China and Russia will have emboldened rather than deterred them.
Fair enough. Do you have a reasoned argument underpinning your view?
It beggars belief that nobody in Washington has noticed that 80-90% of the world is actively ignoring the US’ call to sanction Russia. Global Hegemony is utterly incompatible with that fact.
Of course, there’s lots of true believers who refuse to see the writing on the wall in front of them and are frantically trying to hold the tide back with empty rhetoric, quixotic arms deliveries, and even sabotage, but the Deep State’s brain trusts are on a different, more realistic track.
They’re at work leveraging America’s remaining powers to achieve the best peer position they can get in the New World Order as it will actually be. That’s their job, and you can bet your last dollar that they’re on it.
The 2nd thing you can bet on is that the Russians expect and respect that. That’s why a Patrushev is on the case despite the fact that a RuForMIn mailboy would better match Sullivan’s personal level of understanding. Patrushev is talking to the heavyweights, while Sullivan spins to the press.
GE Appliances are now owned by the Chinese.
Hope your home is OK, Larry.
Cui Bono, is a very good question. But one more I do not see asked is, why there? Why so close to Bornholm, very close to Denmark’s 12 mile limit??
The seas around Bornholm are reportedly routinely heavily surveilled by Denmark and NATO.
If Russia did destroy the pipelines, why take such a huge risk of discovery in the act so close to Bornholm? Why not for example a more lightly surveilled area such as a mid Baltic location equidistant from Bornholm, Kaliningrad and Gotland?
Another question. Why rule out submarines? Is this distraction?
Sweden has very capable submarines whose design is optimised for Baltic operations!
The Poles have a Soviet designed Kilo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ORP_Orze%C5%82_(1986)). Poland’s only coastline is the Baltic! Where else would they use it?
I think we can absolve Germany and its Type 212 submarines.
Russia also operates a Kilo in the Baltic. Kilo’s are 3,100 tons. If they can operate in the Baltic, then there are many NATO countries with submarines of that size or smaller, Norway, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Canada, Netherlands.
With Danish collusion, and a transit of the strait at night, who would know?
Didn’t want to entertain Poland as a beneficiary? They now have Germany by the short hairs, and they had an axe to grind going into this.
the Davos lot is what did it, innit.
Go check out Gold, Goats ‘n Guns for a non-serial, non linear, non Poirot analysis.
” Gold, Goats ‘n Guns for a non-serial, non linear, non Poirot analysis.”
An attempt at “non-serial, non linear, non Poirot analysis” not quite achieved, although I have no intention of describing part of why’s through a public postbox.
According to Mr. Shakespeare Brutus allegedly remarked that he had come to bury Caesar not to praise him, whilst some others come to transcend “Caesars” not to bury them all, as Mr. Putin will likely illustrate once more today, and others ponder what is deemed to be the plausible belief of the day.
Antonius, not Brutus.
“Antonius, not Brutus.”
Hence “allegedly” since Mr. Shakespeare, Tommie and NotRubbingSticks were reliant in this instance on “the plausible belief of the day.” since none of the three cited encountered Antonius or Brutus to ask their versions of events in validation.
Fortunately though none of the three pondered Cui bono?
” is deemed to be the plausible belief of the day.”
Including but not limited to “How does volleyball work ?” and “Whatever happened to Stepan Bandera?”
and
Did the Who get fooled again?
Perhaps the “State Department” should advise the Jewish lady who forgot the salt to limit her travel plans ?
it sure beats your verbal diarrhoea though….
The gnomic quality of your posts is indicative not of a desire to communicate, but a desire to impress (failed, in this case). Communication in its highest form is clear, precise and unambiguous. You would do well to consider this (that is, if you actually have a desire to communicate, as well as ‘impress’).
“The gnomic quality of your posts is indicative not of a desire to communicate, but a desire to impress”
Thank you for your projection to bridge doubt of “Who is the audience?” and “Why the register?”
“Communication in its highest form is clear, precise and unambiguous.”
You are mistaken.
” Communication in its highest form is the interaction of implementation and interpretation rendering it ambiguous” as in attempts to interpret notices of intent as ultimata.
since unambiguous is never an option outwith omniscience, which is also never an option in environments where lateral change is a constant – as in life.
Austrian professor Gerhard Mangott tells, folling ORF news:
Mangott: “Nord Stream Lecks” möglicher Signal an den Westen” (https://orf.at/#/stories/3287498/)
Der Politikwissenschaftler und Russland-Experte Gerhard Mangott hält es für möglich, dass hinter den Explosionen der „Nord Stream“-Gaspipelines ein Signal Russlands an den Westen stehen könnte. Moskau könnte zeigen, dass es willens sei, eine neue Front zu eröffnen, und auch andere Gasleitungen zerstören könnte, meinte Mangott gestern Abend in der ZIB2.
Es stünden somit mögliche Angriffe auf die Infrastruktur des Westens im Raum, mit Folgen etwa für die Gaspreise. Zwar liefere Russland nicht mehr viel Gas über Pipelines nach Europa, allerdings gehe es hier um den Aufbau eines Drohpotenzials.
Man könne damit Unsicherheit erzeugen, zumal der Westen hier sehr verwundbar sei, so der Politikwissenschaftler. Damit könnte man auch die Unterstützung für die Ukraine schwächen.
“Probably a signal to the West. Moscow might show its willingness zu open a new front and could destroy another gas pipelines. Attacks on western infrastructure looming, followed by higher gas prices. Russian not delivering much gas over pipelines to europe now, but the point is building a potential threat” (regarding the vulnerability of the West at this point, & to weaken its support fur UA this way)”
Well, Prof. Mangott, I would think/suggest it’s high time then that “The West” examines the parts of the pipelines under its control / or insight, e. g. in Baltics, or Eastern Europe, for FURTHER explosive charges planted by the Evil Rrussians before, so that it not could DETONATE them by REMOTE CONTROL, as in case of the baltic sea pipelines recently – (Facepalm)
Sorry guys. To me at least the article seems to be disoriented. It appears that the reference to Korea is intended humor leading to “the stupid actions of people who think they’re pretty clever”. And who are these people? We’ll we all know, don’t we?
We may not like the truth, but it is what it is. Dare we say it? Biden told us with a smirk. Nuland also. Why beat around the bush? We are scared to acknowledge the monstrosity of the act. But we know deep in our hearts. (And it ain’t Russia… nor Korea, we know even though we may wish to deny. Truth is often bitter.)
Sardonic is the word I would use.
It’s always about the money. Statecraft used to be about what was best for the countries involved. Now it’s about making as much money as possible. With all that Russia and China were doing to increase trade to and with Europe, the western oligarchs saw that Europe and particularly Germany could become a bigger economic powerhouse than the US. That had to be stopped. We joke in the US that the only thing keeping the government from totally cracking down on the “dissenters” is the fact that so many own guns. After the Ukraine debacle, NATO has seriously diminished it’s stocks of military equipment. All with the promise that the US will sell and deliver new stuff in the future. The western oligarchs made a fortune in Russia with the fall of the Soviet Union. What an opportunity now when they buy up the broken economies of Germany, France, and the rest of Europe.
What was German economy cash-cows ? Appliances ? No ; machine tools , chemicals and industrial appliances. How do you get a functioning world integrated economy with no tools in the factories ?
Stupids gonna do stupids things. And stupids don’t win wars.
Germany doesn’t have much energy resources, it was always dependent on oil imports for example. Russia has provided gas and because of long lasting contracts it was possible for Germany to get that resource for a very low price. It helped their economy to be competitive. Not only Germany profited from Russian gas, all of Europe did. Energy is very important to north Europe but also to the south, even thou not that much. Without Russian energy resources whole EU is in economical and social jeopardy. They have done this on purpose because no-one would be that stupid to upset the relations between a country that basically keeps their economy running on clean and affordable gas. Germany was also stupid for having dramatically shut down all their nuclear power plants during the last few years. Nuclear energy is far more safe and cleaner than people would assume. The green lobby made sure that people believe differently. Greens should have been banned for that in my opinion. They are very extremist in their ideology and very aggressive in their behavior against every one that won’t share their agenda. German ruling politicians have made many mistakes believing that whole “we can/must save the climate” stuff and forgot that energy is not something you can play with in politics. Now they will suffer and of course blame Russia for everything.
The stupidity in western governments has been of the charts for years and now they even succeeded to top that by moving on Russia like a bunch of mindless drones. Far too many people have already died for that. It is about time to get serious and that is what I think Russia will do next. Mr. Putin’s speech today was a clear message not to go any further without accepting the severe consequences. They haven’t even seen anything yet. Zelensky is already in panic mode wanting the remains of the country he betrayed to become part of NATO. As if they would save his criminal a** or his broken country.
The Nordstream pipes may not be off-line for the length of time many have suggested.
This info is from a write-up put together for a customer many many years ago. My apologies if the technology I refer to is out of date.
Underwater ROVs capable of using a diamond blade to make a clean cut in the pipe. A sleeve-clamp can be applied over the damaged section for a temporary repair. If necessary two sleeve-clamps and a section of pipe can be used to make the repair.
The part about two explosions is interesting and not knowing how far apart those explosions were leads to some speculation. Was it a backup in case one of them did not work, or did they intentionally knock the pipe out of alignment.
If the damaged pipe was knocked out of alignment a sleeve-clamp process may not be able to repair the pipe. In that case two tap-ins and a section of pipe would be needed to go around the damaged pipe. Think of damaged interstate across from a weight station and solving the traffic jam involves running it through the weight station.
As far as salt intrusion goes, a high temperature low mineral water solution followed by a baking soda and gypsum solution will neutralize the salt. This is old technology. I am sure it has changed and quite probably pipes are lined these days.
This video shows the process used. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7qN7im-tLc
Repair could be accomplished in a couple weeks to a couple months. 100 % of capacity may not be possible, but even reduced capacity would help.
How is all that saltwater blown out ?
they use a tool referred to as a ‘pig’ followed by salt decontamination any what is essentially dry air. The epoxy lining greatly reduces salt damage as well.
An engineering video on the installation NordStream 2.
https://youtu.be/jzibtVSamrY?t=113 Video starts at two minutes in to bypass the obligatory political bs. Also, after 9:10 don’t bother, it’s more political bs.
https://youtu.be/jzibtVSamrY?t=238 Was not sure in my previous post but the pipes do have an anti-friction epoxy lining. As a result, rust will not be an issue as initially speculated.
In researching this, it appears that while NordStream 1 & 2 are separate lines, each line consists of two lines. There are 4 lines in total in the NordStream project. That may explain why there were 4 explosions.
Hard to find the bottom of some rabbit holes – lol It helps if one enjoys documentaries that some consider boring .
There is much to say for your sight of things. However one thing a lot of people are missing is the fact that Germany is overrated regarding quality and expertise. Many of the top names in German industry belong to yesteryear. Grundig, one of the top companies in the entertainment equipment industry belong to a Turkish setup. The name is there but not the old quality. The same goes for a lot of others too.
The thing is the management copied the American methods and turned to outsourcing and shareholder value. The government in the 90s and early 2000s literally destroyed the then booming solar industry to the tune of 30.000 jobs.
Also the components are made in cheap – labour countries such as Romania or Bulgaria, the Poles and Bulgarians do nearly all the construction work, closely followed by the Albanians. The apprentice situation is dismal with not enough young people interested in manual work. The skilled workforce is being pensioned off with no follow-up generation.
So as you can see the European “powerhouse” is living on past glories and is in fact declining into incompetent mediocrity. If the saying is true; you get the politicians you choose and deserve, then just look at the crowd across all parties and you can tell the state of the nation at one glance. Europe is no better, as the one holding the whip is a German too. They were already on the way down without Putin lifting a finger. He just made things clearer, for those with eyes to see and an ear that is able to listen.
I highly recommend reading this to find out what American CEOs (and others too probably — Germans apparently as well) have been doing for the last few decades. In a word, they’ve been looting and fabricating Ponzi schemes. It sounds as if manufacturing is pretty much dead in the West.
The author’s recommendations are also pretty sad: “US public should demand…” “congress should pass…” Yeah, sure.
https://www.ineteconomics.org/uploads/papers/LAZONICK_William_Profits-without-Prosperity-20140406.pdf
Very true about the German quality hype. I have worked directly with Siemens and other European heavy equipment manufacturers and their arrogance and incompetence are just simply abysmal. Once I sat in a pre-award tender meeting with their engineers and contracts people and my blood would boil listening to them. And not just me: our client ultimately requested a re-tender. That bad. And regarding quality? Or the competence of their “engineers”?! The commissioning “engineers” were HNVQs technicians milking their daily rates.
The commercial and legal people running these companies think themselves very clever, and may actually score a point or too on the short term; but they completely fail to realize the very long term reputational damaged. I’m an older engineer, but I can see the younger engineers around me forming their prejudices already. Germany quality. Nein danke!
During the high holidays? Henri Morgenthau from the grave.
I think Aquamarine did the deed. ( She’s the daughter of Aquaman) She wanted revenge on the Swedes for deporting her Greek landscaper who was the boyfriend of her 👯♀️
When I was I machine shop school in 2004 ish most programs where closing because of lack of interest ,the US cannot restore its manufacturing capabilities ever ,they think they can just pay training programs etc ,but it takes years to learn how to make stamping dies etc ,plus the pay is garbage ,and working conditions suck too ,most real machinests are gone dead or retired.So good luck it’s over .
Please see this 12-minute video from retired Army Colonel Richard Black:
https://youtu.be/ALb2FPXFro4
As a long-time prosecutor, he examines motives, means, and opportunity for the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines.
He gives a devastating (but routinely ignored by the media) quote from President Biden.
And comes to the conclusion that, all of the above points to the conclusion that
“The U.S. did it.”
Tucker Carlson points out how accusations of “Russian propaganda”
are being used to suppress discussion of the true cause of the Nord Stream breaches:
2022-10-07
https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/tucker-carlson-dont-ask-obvious-questions-nord-stream-pipeline-leak
2022-10-05
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-explanation-allowed-nord-stream-government-wants-you-believe