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S/PV.9266 Security Council
Security Council Report, Dated 21st February 2023.
Threats to international peace and security
Mr. Sachs: The destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines on 26 September constitutes an act of international terrorism and represents a threat to the peace.
The consequences of the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines are enormous. They include not only the vast economic losses related to the pipelines themselves and their future potential use, but also the heightened threat to transboundary infrastructure of all kinds: submarine Internet cables, international pipelines for gas and hydrogen, transboundary power transmission, offshore wind farms and more. The global transformation to green energy will require considerable transboundary infrastructure, including in international waters. Countries need to have full confidence that their infrastructure will not be destroyed by third parties. Some European countries recently expressed concern over the safety of their offshore infrastructure.
The destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines required a very high degree of planning, expertise and technological capacity. The Nord Stream 2 pipelines are a marvel of engineering. Each section of pipe is made of rolled steel of 4.5-centimetre thickness, and with a pipeline internal diameter of 1.15 metres. The pipe is encased in concrete of 10.9-centimetre thickness. The weight of each section of concrete-encased pipe is 24 metric tons. The Nord Stream 2 pipelines, some 1,200 kilometres in length, contain around 200,000 pipes. The pipelines sit on the sea floor.
Destroying a pipeline of heavy rolled steel, encased in concrete, at depths of 70 to 90 metres, requires highly advanced technology for the transportation of the explosives, diving to install the explosives and detonation. To do so undetected, in the exclusive economic zones of Denmark and Sweden, adds greatly to the complexity of the operation. As a number of senior officials have publicly confirmed, an action of this sort must have been carried out by a State-level actor. Only a handful of State-level actors have both the technical capacity and access to the Baltic Sea to have carried out this action. Those include the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, Poland, Norway, Germany, Denmark and Sweden, either individually or in some combination. Ukraine lacks the necessary technologies, as well as access to the Baltic Sea.
A recent report by The Washington Post revealed that the intelligence agencies of the NATO countries have privately concluded that there is no evidence whatsoever that Russia carried out this action. That also comports with the fact that Russia had no obvious motive to carry out this act of terrorism on its own critical infrastructure. Indeed, Russia is likely to bear considerable expenses to repair the pipelines. Three countries have reportedly carried out investigations of the Nord Stream terrorism, namely, Denmark, Germany and Sweden. Those countries presumably know much about the circumstances of the terrorist attack. Sweden in particular has perhaps the most to tell the world about the crime scene, which its divers investigated. Yet instead of sharing that information globally, Sweden has kept the results of its investigation secret from the rest of the world. Sweden has refused to share its findings with Russia and has turned down a joint investigation with Denmark and Germany.
There is only one detailed account to date of the Nord Stream destruction, the one recently put forward by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, ostensibly based on information leaked to Hersh by an unnamed source. Hersh attributes the Nord Stream destruction to a decision ordered by United States President Joe Biden and carried out by United States agents in a covert operation that Hersh describes in detail. The White House has described Hersh's account as "completely and utterly false," but did not offer any information contradicting Hersh's account and did not offer any alternative explanation. Senior United States officials made statements before and after the Nord Stream destruction that showed the United States animus towards the pipelines. On 27 January 2022, Under-Secretary of State Victoria Nuland tweeted, "If Russia invades Ukraine, one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward." On 7 February, President Biden said, "If Russia invades ... again, then there will be no longer Nord Stream 2; we will bring an end to it." When asked by the reporter how he would do that, he responded, "I promise you we will be able to do it."
On 30 September 2022, immediately following the terrorist attack on the pipeline, Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that the destruction of the pipeline 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." On 28 January 2023, Under-Secretary Nuland declared, in testimony to Senator Ted Cruz in the United States Senate, "I am, and I think the Administration is, very gratified to know that Nord Stream 2 is now, as you like to say, a hunk of metal at the bottom of the sea."
Such language is not at all appropriate in the face of international terrorism.
The truth is not yet known by the world, but it is knowable.
Last edited by VIK LEWA; 05-02-2023 at 11:10 PM.
Jupiter in Aquarius (Astro-Seek): "They have to make the first steps with their belief on their own, only then they can offer it to others. And then, by mixing the beliefs of other people, they will develop a system of belief that suits the goals and purpose of the whole group. Their idea is that if they continue like this step-by-step, all mankind will eventually share a common ideology. They see God as a world religion."
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Let the Monroe Doctrine Die
FP: Influence ops. Analysts at Facebook-owner Meta revealed this week that a digital marketing company in Miami called Predictvia was responsible for a number of covert online political influence operations in Latin America over the last year. The company, which claims to be fighting misinformation, allegedly ran dozens of social media accounts that falsely posed as media outlets, journalists, and other brands. Their purpose: to critique domestic politics in Guatemala and Honduras, specifically targeting Guatemala City Mayor Juan Carlos Pellecer and Honduras National Congress President Luis Redondo. It's still unclear who hired Predictvia or how successful its misinformation campaigns were. But U.S.-based actors have a long, sordid history of meddling in Latin American politics since the establishment of the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, with the Trump administration even saying that policy was still "alive and well" just four years ago.
Jupiter in Aquarius (Astro-Seek): "They have to make the first steps with their belief on their own, only then they can offer it to others. And then, by mixing the beliefs of other people, they will develop a system of belief that suits the goals and purpose of the whole group. Their idea is that if they continue like this step-by-step, all mankind will eventually share a common ideology. They see God as a world religion."
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Jupiter in Aquarius (Astro-Seek): "They have to make the first steps with their belief on their own, only then they can offer it to others. And then, by mixing the beliefs of other people, they will develop a system of belief that suits the goals and purpose of the whole group. Their idea is that if they continue like this step-by-step, all mankind will eventually share a common ideology. They see God as a world religion."
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Join Wayne, Hutch and JR as they interview Nicole Tsai of the New Federal State of China who exposes the CCP and wants China to be free of the communist element.
Jupiter in Aquarius (Astro-Seek): "They have to make the first steps with their belief on their own, only then they can offer it to others. And then, by mixing the beliefs of other people, they will develop a system of belief that suits the goals and purpose of the whole group. Their idea is that if they continue like this step-by-step, all mankind will eventually share a common ideology. They see God as a world religion."
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Gp Cpt TP Srivastava (Retd): The US is the only nation to have used weapons of mass destruction. Japanese opposition to the nuclear option is understandable, being the only country to have suffered destruction from a nuclear weapon. The Indo-Pacific term has become the most talked about strategic issue. Geography enables India to not only protect its interest in the Indian Ocean but also control the traffic through the most critical waterway on the globe. A threat, if any, will develop from ports in Pakistan. India and China can resolve their differences amicably shortly because mutual animosity will be detrimental to both nations. The Galwan Valley standoff must be viewed as a blessing in disguise. It enabled India to flex its muscles to protect its territorial integrity. China has received the message. China and India must reconcile their differences from a position of strength. Any attempt to prove precedence over each other will be counterproductive. India must remain clear of 'white skin' (read US and EU) intent to corner China by placing India in front as a QUAD member. Unlike the First and Second World Wars, which were essentially fought for regional/global supremacy by ‘White Skins,’ the Third World War might be fought based on maintaining the supremacy of color of skin. The formation of AUKUS and the supply of nuclear submarines by the USA to Australia are among the most terrible strategic decisions – it has also sown the seeds of the Third World War. The Russia-Ukraine war has now turned into Russia vs. NATO and the USA. The G-20 Foreign Ministers meeting in Delhi on March 3 and 4 was significant for multiple reasons. US Secretary of state Anthony Blinken declared that there would be consequences if China supported Russia militarily. China invariably reacts adversely to such counseling (read warning/threat), as it did when the USA gave China the nuke threat during the Korean war. World is slowly but surely heading towards a possible global conflict.
Russia-Ukraine standoff: Russia-USA and NATO standoff is the most explosive issue currently. Russia has already announced the use of nukes if military support to Ukraine by USA-led NATO nations continues. The final nail in the coffin will be Ukraine's admission into the NATO fold. Despite the verbal assurance of the USA that NATO will not move eastward, membership of Finland and Sweden is under active consideration but for the objection of Turkey and Hungary.
Iran-Israel conflict over Iran's nuclear capability: Fresh discussions on reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are underway. Irrespective of the outcome, Israel will no longer wait and take appropriate action to prevent Iran from producing weapon-grade Uranium. Iran will retaliate, resulting in US assistance to Israel, thus expanding the spectrum of war.
Chinese threat to Taiwan: Repeated incursion in Taiwanese territory by large formations of PLAAF fighters/bombers is not only for the show of force but also for collecting Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) for a possible strike. Taiwan Air Force strike elements are spread over four bases. An airborne assault by China to neutralize these four air bases cannot be ruled out in conjunction with an amphibious assault on western shores.
Belligerent attitude of North Korea: Continuous testing of various SSMs (incl ICBM class) is a concern. North Korea is poised to carry out the seventh nuclear test anytime. China continues to support North Korea.
Russian and US military presence in the Middle East: The Middle East is still burning. US forces are still in Syria. Evacuation from Afghanistan and Iraq was due to public pressure within the USA.
Last edited by VIK LEWA; 06-02-2023 at 07:50 AM.
Jupiter in Aquarius (Astro-Seek): "They have to make the first steps with their belief on their own, only then they can offer it to others. And then, by mixing the beliefs of other people, they will develop a system of belief that suits the goals and purpose of the whole group. Their idea is that if they continue like this step-by-step, all mankind will eventually share a common ideology. They see God as a world religion."
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