The Politics of Pipelines

The bloc’s proposed embargo will ripple across global markets and increase the likelihood of expansive U.S. sanctions that target Moscow's energy sales to non-Western countries.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

While new Gazprom contracts and Nord Stream 2’s certification are likely, Moscow’s coercive tactics risk accelerating Gazprom's decline in Europe’s energy market.

As Europe prepares for winter amid a complicated energy crisis, Russia is holding back on shipping natural gas to the region.

The deal is unlikely to quell concerns about Russia using the pipeline to weaken Ukraine’s position as a transit state for natural gas.

Following the poisoning of a Russian opposition leader, mounting pressure to take a tougher stance against Moscow may finally prompt Berlin to abandon the embattled pipeline project.

The removal of technical requirements for operating in Danish waters will enable Russia to complete the pipeline's construction, but a new round of proposed U.S. sanctions could still thwart progress.

Following Moscow's move to cut off its oil supply, Belarus has, for the first time, threatened to tamper with the transit of Russian oil exports to Europe.

Their new agreement notwithstanding, Moscow and Kyiv are ultimately set to go their separate ways on energy.

While sanctions will depress Russia's economic performance, they are unlikely to go to an extreme that causes its economic collapse.