Nord Stream 2, a Lever for Sanctions?
Energy Policy, Security Policy, and Symbolic Politics
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
The natural gas transit pipelines running through Ukraine are not a “lever” that can be used against Russia politically. The same applies to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. This natural gas pipeline does not pose a threat to Ukraine or other countries, nor is it an effective tool for sanctions against Russia. The debate about Nord Stream 2 distracts from the fact that Germany, along with many other EU countries, is reluctant to impose sanctions on Russia, which would in any case have tangible negative repercussions on their own economies. At the same time, however, nobody knows whether such sanctions would actually impress Russia’s leadership.
(Osteuropa, 10-12/2021, pp. 193–200)