Radio War Nerd #316 — Russian Gas Pipelines & Politics, with Ben Aris

This episode may not hold up in some ways, but the things said at this point in time about Nord Stream 2 are very important

lol this aged poorly and fast

So glad you had this expert on. As sometime happens, technical experts are oblivious to the moral universe they work in. How can this guy know so much, and get so much completely wrong? He thinks that allowing Nordstrom is a morally compromised position? I think making taxpayers pay four times the price to survive winter is the morally compromised position, obviously. He thinks that the reason that it has not been authorized yet is because of European lack of consensus? The only reason it has not been operational is our (USA) governments opposition. Berlin, and the EU would’ve gone for that in a heartbeat. If pundits answer him on Twitter its because like them he gets it all wrong but has the right accent.

Fantastic episode and just bookmarked BNE news site, thank you!

Here's a German satirical reporter interviewing Dutch people in Groningen. Groningen is the region in The Netherlands that stopped producing gas because they were experiencing earthquakes and sinkholes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKWEEOz3YcQ

This might be my euro-centered perspective, but I wonder to what degree the Ukraine situation might be related to Merkel's exit. The US perhaps saw an opportunity to pressurise against Nordstream 2 with Merkel gone. Russia perhaps saw the moment to test EU-unity and US-EU unity and make their move to push back against NATO.

Great episode - thanks for this one

Loved the episode, thanks!!

Wrote a big thing about nuclear that seems to have been deleted but tl;dr nuclear power is not as dangerous as Greenpeace wants you to think, it's been hamstrung but arms industry and nimby pressures that don't need to exist, and it's still, after all those decades, far better than the alternatives, and it's pretty obvious we're not ready to switch off for another couple decades, or if ever. Very frustrating to see Japan and Germany and some US States turn off reactors and immediately suffer problems that were completely obvious and predictable.

Gas is not cleaner if methane pipeline leaks and harvesting are calculated.

A factual correction for Ben Aris too: Olaf Scholz is not a socialist. He is the worse kind of blairite neoliberal promoter of privatizating and marketfetischization of everything, more than happy to inflict pain on workers and poor.

The UK's role in all this is unsubstabtive to say the least. Being unable to add anything useful, their politicians look for photo, opportunities and for possible distractions from their miserable failures at home. Liz Truss's main talent these days seems to be in cos-playing Margaret Thatcher when ever she finds an opportunity. I would have forgiven her for taking the private jet to Australia, had she not, in earlier times complained loudly about (labour) ministers not saving the tax-payer money by taking cheaper alternatives. She seems to be obsessed with photo-ops and her picture coming off the jet in Australia was of smugness personified. Ian Hislop referred to her the "irony lady".

Sorry, new to the channel, How do i put this in my podcasts?

I love him using Börse (the German word for exchange (like stock exchange)) and not realizing it.

Another excellent episode. It's amazing how energy and pipeines are practically unmentioned by the state department, DoD or mainstream media. It's impossible to discuss the Russia / Ukraine conflict without pipelines being front and center.

If Ben Aris reads this, it would be great to hear his take on whether Biden is earning money on ukrainian gas, like this guy claims. It would explain a lot why it is so inportant to keep gas flowing through Ukraine https://www.anti-spiegel.ru/2020/bidenleaks-teil-4-wie-joe-biden-und-george-soros-nach-dem-maidan-in-der-ukraine-milliarden-verdient-haben/ The source of this info is Alexander Onischenko, a highly corrupt oil & gas magnate = he would know the lay of the land. Interview in German https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YsuK3BC5x0E

One of my favorite interviews you guys have done

Lets go

Oof your voice hurts to hear Ames, hope the throat is feeling better haha

Great interview.

Good discussion and a good guest. Well done guys.

Excellent episode. Really helped me understand a bit more.

An absolute delight from start to finish. Thanks so much for this one

Outstanding interview. I now feel confident enough to take my rightful place as an internet Russia expert.

I keep thinking of that old Simpsons episode with the Homer doing the bear patrol and he says "see, no bears around, it worked."

Yulia Timushenko was tapping that gas

People have forgotten how significant gas prices were politically in the mid-2000s because of the war and why Obama overtly went all-in on fracking and domestic LNG production. Also, this deal is at odds with the other big LNG producers: UAE and Qatar, NATO's newest non-member Partner; Our Partners In Peace.

Neocons/W/PNAC – Pay a price? Democrats were literally lined up to fete Dick Cheney *LAST MONTH*. And if he weren't President, Joe Biden would've been at the front of the line giving him a sloppy.