https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream I finished Hersh’s article. Obviously it is impossible to know for sure what happened from where any of us sits, but the article lays out a detailed account of what Hersh claims happened. The fact that there is no compelling theory that has been shared, the only investigation that has been conducted has not released any speculation as to who may have been responsible is not evidence that Hersh is right, but does in my mind shift the burden a bit more toward those dismissing it out of hand to offer some plausible alternatives instead of continuing to essentially declare it an unexplained natural phenomenon unworthy of examination.
I certainly am sympathetic to the idea that this would be a catastrophically dumb idea. Is this common ground? It seems to be the best argument against the US having done it, and is best paired with the US categorical denials.
But saying it would be dumb for the US to have done it is not the same thing as the US not doing it.
I think the idea that a rag tag group of Ukrainians pulled it off is more far fetched based upon the reporting on how active the area is with Russian and NATO navies.
Besides the obvious motive and public statements, I think other biggest circumstantial piece of evidence is opportunity and BALSTOP definitely fits.
Lastly, I know there has been a lot of hand waving about the messenger. Sy Hersh did excellent reporting on Abu Ghraib and also has a very long history of reporting on things that are dismissed and then become consensus after further investigations. That pattern has definitely slowed as the Osama bin Ladin killing story he posted was not really confirmed, but the multiple iterations of cover stories and mystifying facts crumbled under any cursory scrutiny so at the very least he disproved some of the dumber things that were claimed. And people who doubt that the government would lie to them about something consequential would do well to remember the Bush administration’s routine lies about everything from Pat Tillman to Jessica Lynch to torture to NSA. The Obama drone assassination program, Guantanamo, NSA spying etc. These stories all took reporting by people like Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, Julian Assange, and Jeremy Scahill and Scott Horton I don’t particularly like all of these people but we owe them all a serious debt of gratitude for uncovering what they did. I feel the same way about Sy Hersh, I don’t reflexively co-sign everything he has uttered or written but it definitely seems like this story is deserving of more attention than it has.
The best evidence that Hersh may be on to something is the completely bizarre investigation.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/traces-explosives-found-nord-stream-pipelines-sweden-says-2022-11-18/
