The National Interest: Europe's Dangerous Distraction: Pipelines

The pipeline games in Europe never end. South Stream is dead, but it was soon resurrected as Turkish Stream, dealing a “heavy blow” to Brussels (this project has since hit a snag); the new government in Greece immediately saw an opening, and so Greek Stream was born, a pipeline that seems to have everything going for it except a clear purpose. And just to make sure that Northern Europe is not left behind, Russia is mulling an expansion to Nord Stream, the pipeline that connects Russia to Germany.

Not to be outdone, other dead pipelines are returning: there is talk of resurrecting Nabucco and the Italy-Greece Interconnector, both of which vanished when Azerbaijan decided to ship its gas to Europe through the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). Pipelines that have been on life-support are also getting a jolt: the Trans-Caspian pipeline with Turkmenistan is getting a few nods recently, and Europe’s focus on North Africa means that Galsi, a proposed pipeline from Algeria to Sardinia and then Italy, might resurface soon.

And then there is new stuff. Many Greeks hope to build a pipeline from Cyprus and/or Israel to Southeast Europe, and in doing so, “reshape regional politics.” If sanctions on Iran are lifted, that too will be a “game changer” for Europe since Iran can “challenge Russia’s dominance.” Later, Iraq might play a role as well, since its undeveloped gas resources offer yet another “game changer.” In fact, there are so many “game changes” that one has trouble remembering what game we’re playing any more.

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