As might have been expected, indeed, as might have have been the intention, Seymour Hersh’s “report” evoked substantial reaction from left, right, and center. Let’s focus on the response from TASS, the Russian news agency:
MOSCOW, February 9. /TASS/. Washington did not contact Moscow to attempt to clarify and discuss the situation after the article by the American journalist Seymour Hersh stating that the US was behind Nord Stream blasts was published, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
“No,” he said when asked a relevant question.
Speaking about whether Moscow plans to make inquiries to Washington itself, Peskov said: “As of today, Russia has already tried very hard in recent months to get an opportunity to participate in the investigation and get at least some additional information.” “Unfortunately, our attempts were rejected. We never received access to any information,” the spokesman stated.
“But obviously, our appropriate agencies still have this issue on the agenda,” he added.
while Pravda.ru quotes Igor Ananskikh, deputy of the Russian Duma:
Главные выгодоприобретатели в иÑтории Ñ Ð¿Ð¾Ð´Ñ€Ñ‹Ð²Ð¾Ð¼ “Северных потоков” — СШРи чаÑтично ÐорвегиÑ. Об Ñтом Ñообщил первый зампредÑÐµÐ´Ð°Ñ‚ÐµÐ»Ñ ÐºÐ¾Ð¼Ð¸Ñ‚ÐµÑ‚Ð° ГоÑдумы по Ñнергетике Игорь ÐнанÑких, Ð¾Ñ†ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ð²Ð°Ñ Ð² интервью Pravda.Ru Ñтатью американÑкого журналиÑта о причаÑтноÑти Вашингтона к теракту.
Читайте больше на https://www.pravda.ru/news/world/1799114-ananskikh_zapad_severnye_potoki/
Translation:
The main beneficiaries in the story of the undermining of the Nord Streams are the United States and partly Norway. This was announced by Igor Ananskikh , First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Energy , assessing in an interview with Pravda.Ru an article by an American journalist about Washington’s involvement in the terrorist attack.
Читайте больше на https://www.pravda.ru/news/world/1799114-ananskikh_zapad_severnye_potoki/
IMO Mr. Hersh has backed the administration into a corner. The report has been officially denied but, as has been admonished for more than a century, never believe anything about the government until it is officially denied. I think it’s incumbent on the administration to produce a culprit along with substantial evidence. I strongly suspect the Swedish government already knows who was responsible at this point but is being discreet.
Please note that I am not claiming that the Russian take is the correct one, only that it is the Russian take. Demurring from producing a credible alternative theory would be interpreted as a tacit admission that the United States cannot be deterred from attacking Russia directly which I do not believe is an impression we should wish to convey.
I don’t know if revealing an alternative culprit is actually better.
Let’s say it is an NATO ally; say Poland. If the Russians take revenge; would the US not be bound to consider it as if it was an attack on itself with unpredictable results? Being tied to an ally that irresponsible is almost as bad as executing an attack with constitutionally mandated processes.
Let’s say it is Ukraine; they have a legitimate right to attack since they are at war with Russia. But considering they don’t have a functioning navy; everyone would infer NATO/US complicity or assistance that would almost be equivalent to executing the attack.
My guess is there will be an overdrive to blame the Russians even if it is non-sensical.
I think there would be some weasel words but it would effectively be the end of NATO. Shouldn’t it be? Or should any NATO member have the ability to back the rest into a corner in pursuit of its own national interests?
I find it odd that a default conclusion of wrongdoing seems to be “blame it on Russia.†This one scrappy country alone, IMO, is too often tagged as our number one enemy, as China churns through all it’s devious practices, takes our intellectual property, infects almost every aspect of our society with money bribes, wants to rule the world (not just protect a border), sends spy balloons able to transverse the entire country – untouched until it reaches the east coast – and yet it’s usually Russia who America’s military screams at, and now provokes by accelerating the border war between them and Ukraine. In the meantime, China bides it’s time, as we exhaust our own armaments, until it can take Taiwan.
I don’t think that Russia is our “number one enemy”—I think that China is. I think that Russia is Poland, the Baltic Countries, Georgia, and Ukraine’s “number one enemy”. I think that sans nuclear weapons Russia is a regional superpower and that Russia will use nuclear weapons rather than accept fragmentation or denial of access to the Black Sea.
With nuclear weapons it’s a world power and we would do well not to forget that.
I also don’t think that China wants to “rule the world”. I think it wants the respect of the entire world as the world’s pre-eminent economic and military power but is otherwise disinterested in much other than China. How that respect would be manifest is probably not in the U. S. interest.
BTW China, too, is a regional superpower. So is India. That they occupy the same region is an irreconcilable source of tension.
Actually, I’m going to correct that. We’re our own worst enemy. We didn’t and don’t have to promote China’s growth. We didn’t and don’t have to give them most favored nation trading status. We don’t have to allow them to buy farmland and other assets in the U. S. We don’t have to allow them to conduct industrial and military espionage in the U. S. We don’t have to allow them to access the Internet at all. And we don’t have to oppose each other militarily. We do appear to be choosing to do so.
“We’re our own worst enemy.”
Who we, Kimosabe?
Scrappy? A country that invades other sovereign nations and kills and tortures civilians? Scrappy?
It appears that Russia has no agency here by your analysis. Its their pipeline. I bet they have been investigating. They are a superpower. If they had any evidence it was the US (or anyone else) they would surely have released it by now. In fact, their inability to find anyone actually suggests that they are the culprits. Unless they are willing to identify who is truly responsible for this bombing right in their backyard we should assume they are guilty.
Steve
To investigate properly they would need permission to enter the territorial waters of other countries. They have requested that repeatedly and been denied.
An interesting theory.