The US blamed Russia even though it now claims it knew all along that “rogue” Ukrainians were the perpetrators

美國指責俄羅斯，盡管它現(xiàn)在聲稱自己一直都知道“流氓”烏克蘭人是肇事者
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Two years ago, the Nord Stream gas pipelines were destroyed in an economic and environmental terrorist attack. The explosions severed a key economic connection between Western Europe and Russia, contributing to the de-industrialization of the EU and intensifying Russia’s economic reorientation towards China and India. The geopolitical ramifications were immense, yet we know very little about what really happened. How is this possible?

兩年前，北溪天然氣管道在一次經(jīng)濟和環(huán)境恐怖襲擊中被摧毀。爆炸切斷了西歐和俄羅斯之間的重要經(jīng)濟聯(lián)系，導致歐盟工業(yè)化衰退，并加劇了俄羅斯向中國和印度的經(jīng)濟轉型。地緣政治影響巨大，但我們對事件的真相知之甚少。這怎么可能呢？

The US and its NATO allies initially insisted that Russia was certainly the perpetrator, and their stenographers in the media reported confidently that “everything is pointing to Russia.” No evidence was presented, yet NATO even suggested the attack on its critical infrastructure could trigger collective defense under Article 5. Besides indirectly threatening the world’s largest nuclear power with war, the US-led military bloc also used the attack on Nord Stream to justify escalating the conflict in Ukraine and to further militarize the Baltic Sea and other seas. Strengthening NATO’s ability to protect undersea infrastructure was also an important argument for why Finland and Sweden should join NATO.

美國及其北約盟友最初堅稱俄羅斯是襲擊者，其媒體速記員也自信地報道說“一切都指向俄羅斯”。雖然沒有拿出任何證據(jù)，但北約甚至暗示，針對其關鍵基礎設施的襲擊可能觸發(fā)第五條規(guī)定的集體防御。除了間接向世界最大核大國發(fā)出戰(zhàn)爭威脅外，以美國為首的軍事集團還利用北溪管道襲擊事件作為升級烏克蘭沖突、進一步軍事化波羅的海和其他海域的理由。加強北約保護海底基礎設施的能力也是芬蘭和瑞典應該加入北約的重要理由。

The story of Russia blowing up its own pipeline could rely on a strong consensus as all dissent to the narrative could be dismissed as repeating the Kremlin’s talking points. Similar stories such as Russia’s alleged continued bombing of a nuclear power plant under its own control or Russia attacking the Kremlin with drones did not make any sense either. Yet, in the absence of common sense, the political and media elites could explain that this was straight out of the “Russian playbook.”

俄羅斯炸毀自己輸油管道的故事可能需要達成強烈共識，因為所有反對該故事的人都可能被視為重復克里姆林宮的言論。類似的故事，例如俄羅斯據(jù)稱繼續(xù)轟炸自己控制下的核電站或俄羅斯用無人機襲擊克里姆林宮，也沒有任何道理。然而，由于缺乏常識，政治和媒體精英可以解釋說，這直接出自“俄羅斯劇本”。
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However, reality eventually asserted itself around the time of journalist Seymour Hersh’s article that blamed the US for the attack. Thereafter, the US began to shift the blame to Ukraine. In one of the latest developments, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US knew about the Ukrainian attack in advance and “the CIA warned Zelensky’s office to stop the operation.”

然而，在記者西摩·赫什發(fā)表文章指責美國發(fā)動襲擊時，現(xiàn)實終于顯現(xiàn)出來。此后，美國開始將責任推給烏克蘭。最新進展之一是《華爾街日報》報道稱，美國事先知道了烏克蘭的襲擊，“中情局警告澤連斯基辦公室停止行動”。

It seems highly unlikely that the US was not involved in the attack on Nord Stream, yet the new and upxed narrative is nonetheless interesting as it is an admission that the US knew about it ahead of time. It is an admission that the US and NATO lied to their own populaces and the entire world when they blamed Russia, and then used that lie to escalate the war in Ukraine, militarize the Baltic Sea, and push for further NATO expansion.

美國沒有參與北溪管道襲擊事件的可能性似乎很小，但新的敘述仍然很有趣，因為它承認美國事先知道此事。它承認美國和北約在指責俄羅斯時欺騙了本國民眾和全世界，然后利用這個謊言升級烏克蘭戰(zhàn)爭、軍事化波羅的海并推動北約進一步擴張。

Our lack of knowledge about what really happened to the Nord Stream gas pipelines is the result of the narrative being protected from reality. Blissful ignorance has become the foundation for NATO unity, and facts are thus treated as the great enemy. Yet, as the demand for unity also upholds what can only be described as the Stockholm Syndrome, let’s review how the Nord Stream narrative has been spared an encounter with reality.

我們對北溪天然氣管道的真正情況缺乏了解，這是由于敘事被保護而不受現(xiàn)實影響。無知已經(jīng)成為北約團結的基礎，因此事實被視為大敵。然而，由于對團結的要求也支持著只能被描述為斯德哥爾摩綜合癥的東西，讓我們回顧一下北溪敘事是如何避免與現(xiàn)實相遇的。
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The US announces its obxtive to destroy Nord Stream
Preventing the economic integration and cooperation between Russia and Germany as two key centers of power has been a centuries-old hegemonic obxtive of the US and Britain. The RAND Corporation, a think tank lixed to the intelligence community, wrote a report in 2019 sponsored by the Army Quadrennial Defense Review Office about how to weaken Russia and make it overextend. Besides destabilizing Russia’s borders and bleeding Moscow in Ukraine, the report outlined the obxtive of cutting its energy ties to Western Europe: “A first step would involve stopping Nord Stream 2.”

美國宣布其目標是摧毀北溪管道
阻止俄德作為兩大力量中心進行經(jīng)濟一體化與合作，是美英百年來的霸權目標。蘭德公司是一家與情報界有聯(lián)系的智庫，該公司于 2019 年撰寫了一份由陸軍四年防務評估辦公室贊助的報告，內容涉及如何削弱俄羅斯并使其過度擴張。除了破壞俄羅斯邊境穩(wěn)定和讓莫斯科在烏克蘭流血外，該報告還概述了切斷俄羅斯與西歐能源聯(lián)系的目標：“第一步是阻止北溪 2 號管道。”

The US opposition to the pipeline included political pressure and economic sanctions against the companies of European allies who participated in the project, a hegemonic ambition sold to the public as defending Europe. In July 2020, then-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo proclaimed: “We will do everything we can to make sure that that pipeline doesn’t threaten Europe.” US Senator Tom Cotton announced in May 2021 that “there is still time to stop it.… Kill Nord Stream 2 now, and let it rust beneath the waves of the Balti’.” On January 14, 2022, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also threatened the pipeline: “We have made clear to the Russians that pipeline is at risk if they move further into Ukraine.” Senator Ted Cruz similarly used very direct language calling for stopping Nord Stream: “This pipeline must be stopped and the only way to prevent its completion is to use all the tools available to do that.”

美國反對該輸油管道的行為包括對參與該項目的歐洲盟友公司施加政治壓力和經(jīng)濟制裁，其霸權野心打著保衛(wèi)歐洲的旗號向公眾兜售。2020 年 7 月，時任美國國務卿邁克·蓬佩奧宣稱：“我們將竭盡全力確保這條管道不會威脅歐洲?！泵绹鴧⒆h員湯姆·科頓于 2021 年 5 月宣布：“現(xiàn)在還有時間阻止它……現(xiàn)在就關閉北溪二號項目，讓它在巴爾蒂河的波濤下生銹?！?022年1月14日，美國國家安全顧問杰克·沙利文也威脅該管道：“我們已經(jīng)向俄羅斯人明確表示，如果他們進一步進入烏克蘭，管道將面臨風險。”參議員特德·克魯茲同樣用非常直接的語言呼吁停止北溪管道：“這條管道必須停止，阻止其完工的唯一方法就是使用所有可用的工具來做到這一點?！?/b>

On February 7, 2022, President Biden stood next to German Chancellor Scholz at a press briefing, warning that if Russia invaded Ukraine, then ”there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.” When asked by a journalist how he would end a project under German control, Biden responded: ”I promise you, we will be able to do that.” US spokesperson, Ned Price, was explicit: “I want to be very clear: if Russia invades Ukraine one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward.” Undersecretary of State for Policy Victoria Nuland used the exact same words: “If Russia invades Ukraine, one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward.”

2022年2月7日，拜登總統(tǒng)在新聞發(fā)布會上站在德國總理朔爾茨身邊，警告說，如果俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭，那么“北溪2號將不復存在”。我們將結束這一切?！碑斢浾邌柤叭绾谓Y束這個受德國控制的項目時，拜登回答說：“我向你保證，我們一定能做到這一點?！泵绹l(fā)言人內德·普萊斯明確表示：“我要明確表示：如果俄羅斯以某種方式入侵烏克蘭，北溪二號項目將無法推進。”美國負責政策的副國務卿維多利亞·紐蘭也用了同樣的話：“如果俄羅斯以某種方式入侵烏克蘭，北溪二號項目將無法推進?！?/b>

The attack on Nord Stream and the subsequent victory lap
On September 26, 2022, the German-Russian Nord Stream pipelines were destroyed. The former Foreign Minister of Poland, Radek Sikorski, tweeted: “Thank you, USA” accompanied by a picture of the destroyed pipeline. The day after the attack, on September 27, 2022, leaders from Poland, Norway, and Denmark attended a ceremony in Poland to mark the opening of the new Norway-Poland Baltic Pipe that was constructed to reduce dependence on Nord Stream.

北溪管道遭襲及隨后的勝利圈
2022年9月26日，德俄北溪管道被摧毀。波蘭前外交部長拉德克·西科爾斯基在推特上發(fā)文：“感謝美國”，并附上被摧毀管道的照片。襲擊發(fā)生后的第二天，即2022年9月27日，波蘭、挪威和丹麥領導人出席了在波蘭舉行的挪威-波蘭新波羅的海管道開通儀式，該管道的建造是為了減少對北溪管道的依賴。

US Secretary of State Antony blxen argued that the destruction of Nord Stream presented “a tremendous opportunity to once and for all remove the dependence on Russian energy.” blxen offered to “help” Western Europe to replace Russian gas with much more expensive American fuel. Nuland joined in celebrating the attack: “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.”

美國國務卿安東尼·布林肯認為，北溪管道的破壞為“徹底擺脫對俄羅斯能源的依賴提供了絕佳的機會”。布林肯提出“幫助”西歐用價格高得多的美國燃料取代俄羅斯天然氣。紐蘭也參與了對這次襲擊的慶祝：“我和政府都非常高興得知北溪二號現(xiàn)在就像你們說的，只是海底的一塊金屬而已?！?/b>

Washington could take a brief pause in rejoicing over the destruction of Europe’s critical energy infrastructure to reassure the world that it must have been the Russians who attacked their own pipelines. Russia had first invested billions into its evil plan of making Western Europe dependent on its energy and then transitioned into its new evil plan of blowing up the pipelines. Moscow could alternatively have turned off the valves and saved billion dollars’ worth of infrastructure, but the Russian playbook works in mysterious ways. Western European politicians entrusted with protecting their national interests and the media – which is supposed to report on reality – insisted that only Russia would have carried out such a horrendous attack. Anyone suggesting the US could have been the perpetrator was smeared by the political and media elites as spreading “Russian propaganda.”

華盛頓可以暫時停止對歐洲關鍵能源基礎設施遭到破壞的慶幸，轉而向世界保證，襲擊他們自己的管道的一定是俄羅斯人。俄羅斯先是投入了數(shù)十億美元實施讓西歐依賴其能源的邪惡計劃，然后又轉向實施炸毀管道的新邪惡計劃。莫斯科本可以選擇關閉閥門，挽救價值數(shù)十億美元的基礎設施，但俄羅斯的策略卻以神秘的方式發(fā)揮作用。肩負國家利益保護重任的西歐政客和本該報道現(xiàn)實的媒體堅稱，只有俄羅斯才會發(fā)動如此可怕的襲擊。任何認為美國可能是襲擊者的人都會被政界和媒體精英抹黑為傳播“俄羅斯宣傳”。

Blaming Ukraine
Hersh then reported that the US had coordinated the attacks with the use of a US Navy diving team. The report was largely ignored by the media. When it was mentioned, it was mostly ridiculed and the reliability of the author undermined. The legendary investigative journalist – who exposed the cover up of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam and detailed the US military’s torture of prisoners in Abu Ghraib in Iraq – was suddenly sold to the public as a senile old discredited conspiracy theorist carrying water for Putin.

指責烏克蘭
赫什隨后報道稱，美國已使用美國海軍潛水隊協(xié)調了襲擊。該報告基本上被媒體忽略了。當它被提及時，它大多受到嘲笑，作者的可靠性受到削弱。這位曾揭露越南美萊村大屠殺掩蓋真相、詳細報道美軍在伊拉克阿布格萊布監(jiān)獄虐待囚犯的傳奇調查記者，突然被公眾出賣為普京的幫兇，成為一名年邁、聲名狼藉的陰謀論者。

Then, the US began to shift the blame to Ukraine. The Washington Post reported in June 2023 about leaked CIA documents revealing that US intelligence and the Biden administration knew at least three months before the attack on Nord Stream that the “Ukrainian military had planned a covert attack on the undersea network, using a small team of divers who reported directly to the commander in chief of the Ukrainian armed forces.” How could the media report on the US lying about Russia being behind the attack, and what kind of narrative could be constructed when the only two suspects are the US and Ukraine? When the narrative-driven media did not have a narrative, the solution was simply a media blackout. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, committed to making excuses for the attackers and instead blaming Russia, suggested that it was too soon to blame Ukraine as the attack on Nord Stream could have been a “false flag” attack to blame Ukraine. Other Western European politicians simply concluded that it was best to stop digging as they would not like what they would find. The same EU officials who had for years spoken about the obxtive of “European sovereignty” now displayed complete subordination to Washington.

隨后，美國開始將責任推卸給烏克蘭?！度A盛頓郵報》于2023年6月報道了美國中央情報局的一份泄露文件，該文件顯示，美國情報部門和拜登政府在北溪管道遇襲事件發(fā)生至少三個月前就知道“烏克蘭軍方計劃對海底網(wǎng)絡進行秘密襲擊，并使用了一小隊潛水員，他們直接向烏克蘭武裝部隊總司令匯報”。
“媒體怎么能報道美國謊稱俄羅斯是襲擊幕后黑手？當嫌疑人只有美國和烏克蘭兩個時，又能構建什么樣的敘事？當敘事驅動的媒體沒有敘事時，解決辦法就是媒體封鎖。
德國國防部長鮑里斯·皮斯托利斯致力于為襲擊者找借口，并將責任推到俄羅斯身上，他表示，現(xiàn)在指責烏克蘭還為時過早，因為北溪管道襲擊可能是一次“假旗行動”，可以將責任推到烏克蘭身上。
其他西歐政客則認為最好停止挖掘，因為他們不會喜歡挖掘到的結果。多年來一直高談闊論“歐洲主權”目標的歐盟官員現(xiàn)在卻完全屈從于華盛頓。

The US was nonetheless cautious not to delegitimize the Ukrainian government, blaming instead rogue Ukrainian elements who had acquired a sailboat with diving equipment. This story was uncritically presented to the public after it had been explained for months that only a state actor could be behind such a complicated operation. Yet, the media was urged not to engage in speculation until EU countries had completed their investigations and shared their findings with the world. Then, Sweden announced in October 2022 that it would not establish a joint investigation team with allies such as Germany due to national security. In February 2024, Stockholm announced it had closed its probe into the attack on Nord Stream as the case did not fall under its jurisdiction.

盡管如此，美國仍謹慎行事，避免使烏克蘭政府失去合法性，而是將責任歸咎于那些擁有配備潛水設備的帆船的烏克蘭流氓分子。幾個月來，歐盟一直在解釋，只有國家行為者才能操縱如此復雜的行動。然而，歐盟敦促媒體不要進行猜測，直到歐盟國家完成調查并向世界公布調查結果。隨后，瑞典于2022年10月宣布，出于國家安全考慮，不會與德國等盟友成立聯(lián)合調查組。2024年2月，斯德哥爾摩宣布已結束對北溪管道襲擊事件的調查，因為該案不屬于其管轄范圍。

As Russia was blocked from participating in the investigations, it put forward a resolution to the UN Security Council calling for the establishment of an international independent investigative commission into the attack. Western countries rejected this and blocked the UN resolution. After all, an independent fact-finding mission could threaten the narrative that NATO unity rests upon.

由于俄羅斯被禁止參與調查，它向聯(lián)合國安理會提出了一項決議，呼吁成立一個國際獨立調查委員會調查襲擊事件。西方國家拒絕了這一要求，并阻止了聯(lián)合國的決議。畢竟，一個獨立的調查團可能會威脅北約團結所依賴的敘事。

By August 2024, the Nord Stream narrative evolved yet again, as the Wall Street Journal reported that Zelensky had been involved in the attack and that the CIA had allegedly attempted to stop it. The German government reassured its partners that the alleged Ukrainian attack on Nord Stream and Berlin’s weapon supplies to Ukraine were two separate issues, and the Nord Stream investigation would not have any bearing on support for Ukraine.

到 2024 年 8 月，北溪管道的敘事再次演變，《華爾街日報》報道稱澤連斯基參與了這次襲擊，而且中央情報局據(jù)稱曾試圖阻止它。德國政府向合作伙伴保證，烏克蘭涉嫌襲擊北溪管道和柏林向烏克蘭提供武器是兩個獨立的問題，對北溪管道的調查不會對對烏克蘭的支持產(chǎn)生任何影響。

Reality threatens the unifying narrative
Without a Russian perpetrator as the foundation for solidarity, the Western Europeans have begun to turn on each other. Narrative control has subsequently become difficult. A German official has claimed that Poland sabotaged investigations into the Nord Stream attack by not arresting a suspected Ukrainian diver named “Volodymyr Z,” instead allowing him to escape back to Ukraine. August Hanning, the former head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service, has accused both Poland and Ukraine of being involved. Hanning has also questioned the sailboat narrative as: “operations of such dimensions are inconceivable without the approval of the political leaders of the countries involved.”

現(xiàn)實威脅著統(tǒng)一的敘事
失去了俄羅斯肇事者作為團結的基礎，西歐人開始互相攻擊。敘事控制因此變得困難。一名德國官員聲稱，波蘭破壞了對北溪襲擊事件的調查，沒有逮捕一名名叫“Volodymyr Z”的烏克蘭嫌疑潛水員，而是讓他逃回烏克蘭。德國聯(lián)邦情報局前局長奧古斯特·漢寧 (August Hanning) 指控波蘭和烏克蘭參與了此事。漢寧還質疑帆船事件的說法：“如果沒有相關國家政治領導人的批準，如此規(guī)模的行動是不可想象的?！?/b>
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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded to the Germans: “To all the initiators and patrons of Nord Stream 1 and 2. The only thing you should do today about it is apologise and keep quiet”. The president of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, argued that if Ukraine was behind the attack on Nord Stream, then it was a legitimate target. The narrative is thus shifting from denial to justification of the terrorist attack. Germany continues to be humiliated by its key partners and allies, some that were behind the operation and others justifying the attack on its critical infrastructure. This is all happening while Germany’s energy-intensive industries collapse and its economy subsequently falters.

波蘭總理唐納德·塔斯克回應德國人：“致北溪1號和2號項目的所有發(fā)起者和支持者。你們今天唯一應該做的就是道歉并保持沉默?！苯菘丝偨y(tǒng)彼得·帕維爾辯稱，如果烏克蘭是北溪管道襲擊事件的幕后黑手，那么烏克蘭就是一個合法目標。因此，輿論從否認恐怖襲擊轉向為恐怖襲擊辯護。德國繼續(xù)被其主要合作伙伴和盟友羞辱，其中一些是此次行動的幕后黑手，另一些人則為襲擊其關鍵基礎設施辯護。這一切都發(fā)生在德國能源密集型產(chǎn)業(yè)崩潰、經(jīng)濟隨之衰退之際。
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However, the Stockholm Syndrome phenomenon should not be underestimated. Western Europeans will memory-hole these uncomfortable facts and continue to ignore their own interests. There will soon be a new scxt to be followed diligently and a swift return to the simple and comfortable worldview of good versus evil, in which liberal democracies stand united under the leadership of the benign leadership of the US against the evil Russians.

然而，斯德哥爾摩綜合癥現(xiàn)象不容小覷，西歐人將會忘記這些令人不快的事實，繼續(xù)忽視自己的利益。很快就會有一個新的劇本需要認真遵循，并迅速回歸到簡單而舒適的善與惡的世界觀，在這個世界中，自由民主國家在美國仁慈領導的領導下團結起來，對抗邪惡的俄羅斯人。