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This is my first exposure to Unz.com. As a free-speech conservative I like the idea of an independent voice. But it takes a lot of mental energy and careful thi

This is my first exposure to Unz.com. As a free-speech conservative I like the idea of an independent voice. But it takes a lot of mental energy and careful thinking to calibrate a news source like this. Is it fake news? I don't know. The thesis of this particular story seems to be that the US is opposed to German dependence on Russian natural gas because it lessens American influence in the region. Given that the US has been encouraging European countries to step up their defense spending, that theory seems weak to me. Of course, we don't want Germany aligned against us. But I imagine the American view is more along the lines: We don't want Germany to be forced into bad decisions because Russia has major leverage over it.

mytailorisrich 5y ago
This is not a controversial view. It is in fact quite reasonable and widespread in Europe. The US have been extremely vocal against Russian gas and Nord Stream 2 to the point of making threats like they owned it or had a stake in it. Nord Stream 2 is between Germany and Russia so for a US President to publicly say it won't happen if the US don't like it is rather shocking. American influence in Europe is weakening and they don't want Russian influence to grow. I think this also applies to growing Chinese influence through trade, influence, and Belt and Road. I am sure a part of what is happening now in Eastern Europe and Kazakhstan is also because of that.
- nradov 5y ago
  Do most Europeans think that increased dependence on Russian fossil fuels is an improvement on the current situation? If the Nord Stream 2 pipeline goes fully on line will the EU as a whole be better off?
  - mytailorisrich 5y ago
    There's already a large dependence on Russia for gas. I'm not sure most people have strong feelings on this and they would probably just support whatever they think may help bring their bills down at the moment. Either way, this is for Europeans to decide, not the US.

mytailorisrich 5y ago

This is not a controversial view. It is in fact quite reasonable and widespread in Europe. The US have been extremely vocal against Russian gas and Nord Stream 2 to the point of making threats like they owned it or had a stake in it. Nord Stream 2 is between Germany and Russia so for a US President to publicly say it won't happen if the US don't like it is rather shocking. American influence in Europe is weakening and they don't want Russian influence to grow. I think this also applies to growing Chinese influence through trade, influence, and Belt and Road. I am sure a part of what is happening now in Eastern Europe and Kazakhstan is also because of that.

nradov 5y ago
Do most Europeans think that increased dependence on Russian fossil fuels is an improvement on the current situation? If the Nord Stream 2 pipeline goes fully on line will the EU as a whole be better off?
- mytailorisrich 5y ago
  There's already a large dependence on Russia for gas. I'm not sure most people have strong feelings on this and they would probably just support whatever they think may help bring their bills down at the moment. Either way, this is for Europeans to decide, not the US.