Germany, Russia: The Nord Stream Pipe Dream

Germany is continuing to defend the Nord Stream pipeline project, a joint venture between Berlin and Moscow, in the face of attacks from other states and signs that even the Russians do not think the project is viable anymore. However, Germany's public show of support is not geared toward the pipeline as much as it is aimed at the Kremlin; Berlin wants to pacify the Russians while it looks for ways to ease its dependence on Russian natural gas.