Table of Contents
Nord Stream 1 has been a useful resource and infrastructure for transporting gas from one country, Russia, to others in the West. This system ensures sustainability and security, making it a great resource for the European region. It is beneficial in the economic and political spheres, serving both Russia and the receiving countries. Nord Stream 1 is politically resourceful for Russia since it enables it to establish control. The political aspect of the Nord stream serves Russia by providing political information about other countries and assisting in establishing control and dominance.
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Nord Stream 1 Description
Nord Stream 1 is a venture between German and Russia and was started in 2005 by president Putin and the then-German Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder (Wood & Henke, 2021). Nord Stream 1 is an undersea pipeline that transports energy to different countries in the western region. Russia owned 51% of the company by its creation or development, while Germany held 24.5%. This system’s fundamental purpose is to directly transport gas or energy from Russia to other countries in the West. In addition, Nord Stream 1 is considered a major source of security and sustainability since it can meet up to 25% of the energy needs in the future. The technology used in creating and operating this system makes it among the most developed and advanced infrastructure, which seeks to fill the existing gap in the importation sector. Different critics argue that Nord Stream 1 should be exempted from the EU. However, the argument of its status as an upstream pipeline acts as its protection against exemption (Giuli, 2018). The European Union considers this project highly valuable to Europe, following the region’s high energy infrastructure needs.
Political Roles of Nord Stream 1
The Nord Stream project is reported to have a direct and strong relationship with the political and economic spheres of the countries involved. Specifically, Nord Stream 1 has notable political roles and connections with the countries involved. The system’s ability to transmit gas directly from Russia to Western Europe while bypassing all other transit countries is a major cause of the existing political controversy around Nord stream 1. According to Lochner & Bothe (2007), the bypassed transit companies, including Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, and Slovakia, depend on Russia for their gas imports. This dependency sparks the fear that Russia may use this weakness to exert political power over the named countries. Russia’s role as the main gas supplier to the West positions it at a superior political and economic position, thus enabling it to establish political influence in other countries. However, the position and role of the named transit countries act as their protection over political influence and domination by Russia.
The Nord stream is considered to be a military strategic plan in favor of Russia. A statement by the Swedish defense minister, Michael, the gas pipeline would motivate the military or naval presence of the Russians. Naval presence would then be used as a means of gathering the intelligence needed for establishing economic control and eventual political influence, following the power the country would possess over the others. This role is applied to date, especially by Russia, where it gathers intelligence about other states by establishing such installations or through the Nord stream transporting gas to the West. Through the pipeline, Russia can gather political information about different countries that are of interest. This potential threatens other countries’ political safety while assuring that of Russia.
Russia utilizes energy as a political tool to establish control and attempt to dominate the region. Russian energy companies that supply gas to other countries in the region have a notable inconsistency in supplying gas, thus causing energy disruptions in the region (Kumar & Chang, 2022). The experienced energy disruptions are associated with Russia’s intention to control the countries that depend on it for gas supply. In addition, the infrastructure challenge in the Baltic States is another reason for the experienced power instability. Over the years, Russia has successfully utilized its energy resources to control the Baltic States. Overall, the efficiency assured by Nord stream one illustrates its role in assisting Russia to establish political control in the region.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Nord Stream 1 is a significant development that ensures the continued gas supply from Russia to Western countries. The system is considered to be the most developed infrastructure, given its notable technology and ability to supply power directly to different countries. Its establishment was based on the need for an easier and more direct path for transporting gas from Russia to the recipient countries. In addition to its primary role, Nord Stream 1 has different political responsibilities that it fulfills. With Russia having had the larger project share, it benefitted more and established other means of dominating the dependent countries. Further, the pipeline helps Russia obtain political information from the countries it supplies gas. In general, the developed Nord stream 1 has political roles, mainly serving the exporting country’s interests, Russia.
- Giuli, M. (2018). Nord Stream 2: Rule no more, but still divide. European Policy Centre. https://www.epc.eu/en/Publications/Nord-Stream-2-Rule-no-more-but-still-divide~205b34
- Kumar A., K. & Chang, A., C. (2022). The politics of Nord Stream pipeline between Russia and European Union. Diplomatist. https://diplomatist.com/2022/03/26/the-politics-of-nord-stream-pipeline-between-russia-and-european-union/
- Lochner, S., & Bothe, D. (2007). From Russia with Gas [EWI working paper]. Institute of Economics at the University of Cologne. https://www.econstor.eu/obitstream/10419/26742/1/549836403.PDF
- Wood, S., & Henke, O. (2021). Denmark and Nord Stream 2: A small state’s role in global energy politics. Energy Policy, 148, 111991.