The U.S. Casts a Suspicious Eye on Nord Stream 2

Germany is Europe's largest economy, but great size isn't helping it get its way on energy. Berlin is bullish on constructing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a link that will deliver an extra 55 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas directly to Germany's doorstep, but the European pipeline politics that have hampered progress on the project have now grabbed the attention of leaders on the other side of the Atlantic. Worried by Russia's impact on Europe's energy security, the United States has made an unusual foray into the Continent's affairs, demanding that European backers of the pipeline drop their support, lest they face the wrath of Washington, which has predicated a new U.S.-European Union trade deal on abandonment of Nord Stream 2 and even threatened sanctions. As the debate within the European Union regarding Nord Stream 2 continues to simmer, the United States appears intent on defying even Germany...