Sleepwalking to Armageddon - The American Spectator | USA News and Politics
Sleepwalking to Armageddon
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On Feb. 7, 2022, as Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s border, President Joe Biden held a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. One of the topics raised by reporters was Europe’s massive dependence on natural gas transmitted through undersea pipelines from Russia. At the time of the press conference, there were two such pipelines: the operational Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, which was completed in 2021 but awaiting approval by German regulators.

The silence of official Washington — Democrat and Republican alike — has been deafening.

If Germany approved Nord Stream 2, the amount of low-cost Russian gas flowing to Germany and Western Europe would be doubled. This was properly viewed as a major potential source of income for Russia as well as a gaping hole in any economic sanctions to be imposed should Russia invade Ukraine.

So, in the event of invasion, what was the United States prepared to do?

“If Russia invades, that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine again,” Biden told the assembled reporters, “then there will no longer be a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.”

When asked how the U.S. could put an “end” to Nord Stream 2, Biden responded, “I promise you, we will be able to do it.”

On Feb. 22, 2022, the White House issued the following statement by Biden:

Since Russia began deploying troops to the Ukrainian border, the United States has worked closely with our Allies and partners to deliver a strong, unified response. As I said when I met with Chancellor Scholz earlier this month, Germany has been a leader in that effort, and we have closely coordinated our efforts to stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline if Russia further invaded Ukraine.

Yesterday, after further close consultations between our two governments, Germany announced that it would halt certification of the pipeline. Today, I directed my administration to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its corporate officers. These steps are another piece of our initial tranche of sanctions in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. As I have made clear, we will not hesitate to take further steps if Russia continues to escalate (emphasis added).

Two days later, an undeterred Russia invaded Ukraine.

So, in response to this escalation, what “further steps” did the Biden regime take in regard to Nord Stream 2?

On Sept. 26, 2022, “major leaks” mysteriously erupted in Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2. As Reuters reported at the time, “Seismologists in Denmark and Sweden said they had registered two powerful [underwater] blasts … in the vicinity of the leaks.” Experts observed that “the scale of the damage and the fact that the leaks are far from each other on two different pipelines indicate that the act was intentional and well-orchestrated.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the United States and its allies of destroying the pipelines, saying, “The [economic] sanctions were not enough for the Anglo-Saxons: they moved onto sabotage.”

Although Biden conceded that there had been “deliberate … sabotage,” he denied that the United States was “responsible.” (RELATED: Who Sabotaged the Nord Stream Pipelines?)

But then, on Feb. 8, 2023, former New York Times reporter Seymour M. Hersh published on Substack a piece titled “How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline.” This is an anonymously sourced account of a secret U.S. operation to attach explosive charges to the undersea pipelines that were later remotely triggered by NATO allies.

Despite its thin sourcing, in light of Biden’s promise to end Nord Stream 2, Hersh’s article makes sense. Who else but the United States had the motive and means to execute such a technologically and logistically challenging operation?

Since the invasion of Ukraine, the United States has been in a proxy war with Russia. By some estimates, we have provided almost $100 billion in military aid and equipment to Ukraine. The Biden regime and its media adjunct have told us that this is a small price to pay to halt Russian aggression without risking American combat casualties.

Nevertheless, boiled down to its essentials, the Ukraine war is a conflict between the United States and Russia, the world’s two leading nuclear powers. As such, from the very beginning of hostilities, the potential for this confrontation to spin out of control and lead to disaster has been staring us in the face — which is why Hersh’s story is so concerning.

Does Biden’s pledge of unending support for Ukraine include sending in American troops?

If Hersh has his facts straight, by sabotaging Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, the Biden regime has committed an act of war that has immeasurably heightened tensions and the likelihood of unintended consequences that can spark an all-out, direct conflict between Russia and the United States.

Putin has quite logically blamed the Nord Stream destruction on the United States. This raises the specter of Russia responding in kind by covertly sabotaging American infrastructure. And, if that happens, how will the United States respond?

Given the dire stakes, what is so remarkable about Hersh’s alarming story is the almost complete lack of media coverage and official inquiry. No one, it seems, is interested in finding out if the Biden regime has secretly taken a major step toward direct, open conflict with Russia. The silence of the corporate media and official Washington — Democrat and Republican alike — has been deafening.

Every day, we are fed media reports and official intelligence estimates claiming that the economic sanctions are devastating Russia and that its soldiers are being slaughtered wholesale. In short, we are being told that Ukraine is winning the war.

But, if you read carefully between the lines, you can begin to glean faint hints that we are not being told the truth. Contrary to Pentagon and State Department predictions, the economic sanctions appear not to have crippled Russia. Moreover, there are now scattered reports that Ukraine’s army is being decimated by Russian artillery. Put another way, despite the cheerleading media and official reports, what we are witnessing is a meat grinder in action, where both sides are taking mass casualties and Russia, which has a vastly larger population than Ukraine, could well prevail. (RELATED: Moscow’s Strategy in Ukraine Puts Russian Soldiers Through Putin’s Meat Grinder)

In his recent surprise visit to Kyiv, Biden “pledged another $500 [million] in military aid” and promised to “tighten sanctions against Russia.” He later tweeted that the United States would “stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.” But has the Biden regime planned for the eventuality that Ukraine may exhaust its supply of military-age males? If so, does Biden’s pledge of unending support for Ukraine include sending in American troops? And, if that happens, what comes next?

In the final analysis, we are risking a direct, non-proxy shooting war with Russia to protect the sovereignty of a country in which we have no vital national interest and, most notably, the Biden family has corruptly lined its pockets.

So, it is more than fair to ask: Why are we there, where is this heading, and where will it end?

And, most importantly, how close is the demented Joe Biden to sleepwalking us into a nuclear war?

George Parry is a former federal and state prosecutor. He blogs at knowledgeisgood.net and may be reached by email at kignet@outlook.com.

George Parry
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George Parry is a former federal and state prosecutor. He blogs at knowledgeisgood.net.
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