NATO in the Amazon: Petro Plays with Fire

By Roger D. Harris on October 26, 2022

NATO recently expanded to Sweden and Finland, has been de facto incorporated in Ukraine, and may extend to Georgia. Now, NATO’s entry into the Amazon is in the works under the aegis of newly elected President Gustavo Petro of Colombia.

NATO in the Amazon: Petro Plays with Fire

Related:

The US warns Petro of the danger of falling into the hands of China:

The Government of Colombia replies to Washington that if it wants to prevail over Beijing, it must finance the purchase of land from ranchers to distribute among the peasants

Quid pro quo?!

BASF seeks ‘permanent’ cost cuts at European operations

FRANKFURT – BASF said costs at its European sites must be cut to a “permanently” smaller size because of a triple burden of sluggish growth, high energy costs and over-regulation, with the German industrial giant’s boss throwing his weight behind a planned expansion in China.

BASF seeks ‘permanent’ cost cuts at European operations

Brandon’s handlers are going to be disappointed! Businesses are supposed to move to the US! Time to twist Olaf’s arm (again)! Maybe tell him that Germany needs to decouple from China, as well?! /s

Key Russian Black Sea gas pipeline under threat – US state media

Key Russian Black Sea gas pipeline under threat – US state media

If the TurkStream natural gas pipeline is damaged, its operator won’t be able to mount repairs because the Dutch government has revoked a key license due to EU sanctions against Russia, US state-run RFE/RL alleged on Thursday.

The outlet claimed to have obtained a letter from Oleg Aksyutin, CEO of South Stream Transport BV, informing the company’s managers to stop all work and cancel contracts with Western suppliers. The letter is reportedly dated September 14, and says that the Netherlands – where the company is registered – had canceled its operating license, effective September 17.

South Stream Transport operates TurkStream, a pipeline finalized in 2020, which runs under the Black Sea to Türkiye and then on to Serbia and Hungary. It has an annual capacity of 33 billion cubic meters of gas. According to Reuters, SouthStream confirmed on Thursday that the license has been revoked, but said it had requested a resumption and “will continue gas transportation.”

While there are no reports about interruptions in the TurkStream supply, RFE/RL noted that much of the pipeline is at the depth of three kilometers, and needs to be constantly monitored for damage due to “seismic activity.”

Commenting on the reported sabotage on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it would be “in no one’s interest,” but then added that the situation represents “a very significant opportunity” for the EU to “finally end” its dependence on Russian gas and “accelerate the transition to renewables.”*

TurkStream is the last remaining pipeline for Russian natural gas to reach the EU. The Yamal pipeline through Poland was shut off in May, due to Russian counter-sanctions against Warsaw, while Gazprom halted deliveries through Ukraine on September 27.

Verifications:

Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly At a Joint Press Availability*

My own sense – and I mentioned this the other day – is, look, there’s a lot of hard work to do to make sure that countries and partners get through the winter. Europe itself has taken very significant steps to both decrease demand but also look at ways to pursue the transition to renewables at the same time. And ultimately this is also a tremendous opportunity. It’s a tremendous opportunity to once and for all remove the dependence on Russian energy and thus to take away from Vladimir Putin the weaponization of energy as a means of advancing his imperial designs. That’s very significant and that offers tremendous strategic opportunity for the years to come, but meanwhile, we’re determined to do everything we possibly can to make sure that the consequences of all of this are not borne by citizens in our countries or, for that matter, around the world.

TurkStream Pipeline Has License Revoked As New Sanctions Come Into Effect

False flag in…3…2…1?! 🤷🏼‍♀️

How Joe Biden Made the War in Ukraine a Gift to the Gas Industry

Gas execs

How Joe Biden Made the War in Ukraine a Gift to the Gas Industry

The letter, dated February 25, just one day after Vladimir Putin’s forces launched their assault on Ukraine, noted the “dangerous juncture” of the moment before segueing into a list of demands: more drilling on US public lands; the swift approval of proposed gas export terminals; and pressure on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, an independent agency, to greenlight pending gas pipelines.

Much of the new gas infrastructure won’t be operational for several years, which may be beyond the timeframe of the Russia-Ukraine conflict that has squeezed supplies and caused gas prices to spike. So much LNG export is planned or under construction, adding up to about half of all total US gas production, that it will probably cause gas prices to climb for domestic American users, according to Clark Williams-Derry, analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis

“It’s beginning to eat into the amount of gas available to domestic consumers,” said Williams-Derry. “We will see very severe impacts on domestic US gas prices. We will see the impacts for as long as the eye can see.”

Life in an IDF Firing Zone: For These Palestinians, It’s a Daily Nightmare

Fewer than six months after a court order expelling the inhabitants of Masafer Yatta from their homes, life in the area has changed beyond recognition. Day-to-day existence had always been difficult in the eight small villages scattered through the area in the absence of basic facilities, even before Israel declared the area a military firing zone, but in recent months it has grown even worse amid the constant presence of the Israeli army and live-fire training. Roadblocks between the villages make it harder for the inhabitants to get in and out, and roads are closed to non-residents. As a result, many villagers have stopped using their cars. As in the old days, they ride donkeys or they walk.

Life in an IDF Firing Zone: For These Palestinians, It’s a Daily Nightmare

Related:

Classified document reveals IDF ‘firing zones’ built to give land to settlers