Illustrative Image
Biden could be accused of cooperating with Russia if he refuses to approve the bill or face frictions with Europe if he supports it.
Written by Lucas Leiroz, research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
After announcing an alleviation of sanctions, Washington’s “carte blanche” to Nord Stream 2 may be close to being reversed. Recently, the Republicans amended next year’s defense bill, extending coercive measures against the pipeline. If Biden approves the bill, he will enter into tensions with Europe again, but if he rejects it, he will come under heavy pressure from the Senate, with lawmakers accusing him of collaborating with Moscow.
According to information provided by members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a group of Republican senators introduced an amendment to next year’s US Defense Policy bill, requiring the imposition of new sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG – the company that manages the pipeline, extending Washington’s boycott against the Russian-German cooperation. In an official statement, the senators responsible for the maneuver justified the amendment with several geopolitical arguments, mainly in favor of greater US cooperation with Ukraine and emphasizing that allowing the free operation of the pipeline will result in a bigger Russian influence in Europe.
Rob Portmang, Republican Senator from Ohio, said the following about the case: “The Biden administration’s decision to waive the congressionally mandated sanctions has emboldened President Putin, while hurting our ally Ukraine, at a time when Russian troops are once again surging to Ukrainian-Russian border – implementation of these sanctions are crucial to supporting European independence and energy security”. In the same sense, Tom Cotton, Senator from Arkansas, said: “The Nord Stream 2 pipeline will expand Russian influence and threaten energy security throughout Europe. Since the Biden administration won’t hold Putin accountable, Congress must take action to ensure our NATO allies aren’t hostage to Russian energy”.
The aforementioned bill currently receives bipartisan support, which is why it is expected that it will be easily approved by the Senate. The document establishes a budget amount of nearly 770 billion dollars to be invested in the defense sector, emphasizing the main current concerns of American defense policy. With the recent amendment, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is seen as one of the biggest obstacles to American national security. The rhetorical logic used by lawmakers is simple: with the pipeline, Russian influence over Europe will expand, raising security risks for the entire Western world, mainly for US allies closest to the Russian border, such as Ukraine and Poland. As a result, boycotting energy cooperation between Russia and Germany becomes a State priority for Washington from next year on.
Interestingly, the amendment to the bill brings some rather curious reflections on the current domestic US political scenario. Before the advent of Joe Biden’s Administration, accusing Republicans of leniency with the supposed “Russian threat” was commonplace among Democrats. Former President Donald Trump was severely criticized during his term for having reduced the focus of the opposition to Russia in US defense strategy, moving the center of American foreign policy from fighting Russia to a trade war with China.
Biden came up with a promise to “save” US global hegemony but was faced with a reality he did not expect. Despite being ideologically committed to the idea of his country exerting dominance over the entire world, Biden realized that material conditions would not allow him to maintain an open opposition policy to all of Washington’s geopolitical rivals, considering the almost inevitable process of the rise of a multipolar world. As a result, Biden declined several of his initial intentions and took a stance reasonably close to Trump’s, which can be seen with the Nord Stream’s carte blanche.
In practice, this has brought a profound rhetorical reversal: now, it is the Republicans who accuse Biden of being lenient with US’ enemies. But it is not just the Republicans who agree with this. A considerable part of the Democrats is disappointed with Biden, as it is evident that he is failing to carry out his initial plans. And with that we can understand the case of the amendment: the Republicans took the lead in the pressure against the government for the intensification of the sanctions on Russia; the Democrats have not done this before, although they agree with the measure, as it would weaken the party’s structure by putting pressure on a Democrat president, but the party’s lawmakers support the bill, so the pressure from the Democrats is more “passive”.
Now, everything is clear in the American game: the Senate supports the boycott against Russia and is not concerned about the challenges this will bring to the White House. In fact, Biden can veto the amendment, but that will have very serious consequences for him, as he will face open opposition from the entire Senate – including members of his own party. On the other hand, if Biden allows the project, he will face diplomatic frictions on the European continent and start a new era of tensions with a Germany in transition of government and progressively interested in improving its autonomy. So, in both cases, Joe Biden is going to lose the most.
The American conts are clearly OUT OF EFFING PLACE!!!? WTF has a Russian and German business venture has to do with them??? Isn’t it time for the Germans especially to put these evil wrong doers in their place???
Trouble is they are all vassal states,they have pimped their Countries out to the US Reich,lets see how the Germans like paying three times more for American gas transported thousands of miles.
Try explaining that to Frau Hoffman when she can’t afford to heat her home.
Another stupidisme.
We have wellfaresystems, where we already help the poorest if needed. In Denmark we already has decided to take the top of heating and electricity. I know they have exact same system in Sweden. Im sure Germany has soemthing too.
We are not as where You might come from at all. We pay a lot of tax and distribute it to where its needed. You are hit of the usual expecting we live under Your condition.
And when I write about it, its ignored and You write that unqualified expectations once again. Its the same again and again. You again and again get limited and censured versions for, what we are.
By that You are kept and kept away from needed changes. You should read about us. You have fx google translate.
I use it very much. Sometimes the translate is not good but it often is.
USSA is such a P.O.S.
I hate NeoCon Nudlemans
Im modefied about that. Try yughurt or honey…
As I start You could be nice Yourself :)
So you want high inflation driven by high energy prices?
Selfish morron!
Lowest paids is not that. Because they are low, they have many subtractions and addings.
They get childsupport for each child up to 18 years old. They have 100% free hospital. They have almost free healthcare. The school is free and You can be a doctor or a lawyer for no pay.
If You get ill or handicapped, You get pension. If treatments and medicine is needed You only medicine costs money and up to a level, where You pay hardly nothing.
Your older ones has a pension, so they dont need Your help at all.
WE GET BACK FROM THE TAX PAY. Thats the point, You dont see.
You can say we are slaves, but we have decided that. We are obligated to work or at least try to get a job, which in some periods can be difficult.
Try to look in Ouir streets and home. High tax says we are rich.
Danes are good though.
You have a low standard of sense.
I live in Denmark i am turk lol
I support Assad Gaddafi Houthis 😉
Well i agree on one thing,you pay higher taxes and i wouldn’t have a problem with that in my country,if people want good public services we have to pay for them,but we have a complete moron as prime minister who doesn’t believe in benefits for people who need them,we already have the lowest old age pension in Europe which is a total bloody disgrace,and the NHS is under attack from the scumbags.
Nato is n0o0t protecting anyone. All scenarios for a war contain the battle ground to be in Europe. Whatever happens it is always the region of Germany and its surrounding countris, which will bear the haviest burdens and death. These few NATO inbstallations in Europe will be gone within the first days of a hot conflict, and US mainland is some distance away. Noone will come to protect us here.
Aloha 9 sheep. You write I lie? You write You are not censured away. I know.
Yesr, and You not even know it even its easy to check up. Thats terrible.
jens prefers campfire and poverty —we dimwits prefer freezing or double pay for amerikan freedom gas
So we dont and You prefare we go back to coal and oil with HSO4 or live with campfire and poverty.
We do none of that. We replace and so far we can make 50%.
I believe that climate change is not that bad. They are just doing it to open new green markets.
You easy can see statistics, pictures and youtubes from here. They dont say anything like that.
Our tax system is a brutto tax system. Yours probatly is a netto one. I makes no sense even to try to compare if You dont understand so many expensive needs are free, where You has to pay and probatly has much more corruption, then we have.
If things are as You insinuate none would work here.
Denmark is good country. Those Scandinavian countries are good.
Your comment is full of ebola.
because of the speculation !! And who are the specutators behind the screen??? J e w s !!! Energy is saled on the market. If counties like Iran, Venesuela offers there oil imediatly to the endcustomer, we will have energy 1/3 of the price now. Now a tanker that sails from the Persian gulf is sold perhaps 5 times before delivering to a customer. In the atlantc, there are parking places whit + 100 tankers waiting to steam. STOP SPECULATION whit food, water, ens energy !!! Stop using the worthless dollar !!!
Dont blame me moron and for the matter Jews.
The rest is infantile illiterate crap too.
Why are Jews blamed for everything?
Russia can wait.
Germany and the EU cant.
That simple.
Thats partly correct. But You are wrong doing this to a Russian-EU thing. Its all over, where many fx cant decline for some time as we can.
They are too low and poor for that. You should winder why they keep themself that low denying very needed changes.
Millions from there prefare to be with us and USA and live among christians and infidels. To me it says a lot about Islam as it is today we now has to use barbed wire in Poland too.
Crumbling americant pedonazi politicants are crying and raging 🤗
I would have thought the clowns would be all cried out by now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wWi6OrgZe4
American conservatives still believe in American exceptionalism. They are like the Saudis.
Learn to write.
You don’t know how to think either.
Welcome. If Your husbond is Adam, You migh be pretty old and well equipped for the global warming up too:) .
Republican pigs just wants nuclear war
Dont offend the pigs:)
Saudis produce gas after eating too. They eat a lot and it make their sandstorms.
You are not in Denmark.
Europe is not free right now either way. The losers are the Americans because they have many enemies like Russia, China and the Islamic world and other powers like India or Brazil are rising up.
Win – win for gazprom. Yea they’re paying for a non productive asset but the longer it stays offline the higher gas prices rise.
I don’t know what the real objective of this is but the leadership of the EU seem to be willing o pay quite a price to keep the Ukraine in welfare gas. I wonder if those brave EU leaders will have to choose between heat and food this winter like many of their citizens will.
Wouldn’t it be interesting if this is the year that the Gulf Stream finally stops with London, Paris and Berlin suffering the same weather as Happy Valley Goose Bay Labrador. London’s record -16 cold temperature becomes the average winter daily high temp and winter nights are regularly in the -30’s with 2 meters of snow falling every month.