Germany and Nord Stream 2: evolution and end of an incongruous policy

Abstract

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline project to deliver gas from Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany, and on to other parts of Europe, was a subject of unrelenting contestation. It impelled the convergence and intensification of already highly politicised domains: economics, energy, environment, conventional security, history, and values. Russian authorities, Nord Stream 2 AG and its investor consortium, and supportive politicians were opposed by governments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, the USA, EU institutions, and some NGOs. Germany was confronted with sharp dilemmas and remains the pivotal actor in this confluence. The responsible German ministry rescinded approval to operate the pipeline 2 days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. The topic encourages interaction of materialist IPE with other branches of International Relations, comparative politics, history, and law to incorporate identity-based, normative, and geopolitical influences on nominally economic activity and policy.