If the US is not behind Nord Stream explosions, it should have no reason to block a UN investigation
- An incident with such grave environmental, energy and security implications should be properly investigated with the guilty party held accountable
- Having appeared to blame Russia for the explosions, the US should welcome an international investigation – unless it has something to hide
Once, according to Chinese legend, there lived a county magistrate by the name of Ye Gong who loved dragons. Ye had them engraved on the columns of his house, painted on the walls, and etched on his bed.
Moved by Ye’s adoration, a dragon decided to descend from the heavens to pay him a visit. However, at the first sight of the dragon at his window, Ye was almost frightened to death before running for his life.
Ye has long gone, but his spirit lives on – perhaps rather surprisingly in the Biden administration.
Hersh’s claims have caused considerable controversy. They are credible, according to Professor Jeffery Sachs at Columbia University, a former adviser to three UN secretaries general. He said the US is one of a few countries that have both the motive and capacity to carry out the attack.
Moreover, the exclusion of Russia in the investigation points to a lack of transparency. Apparently, an independent international investigation is essential for finding out what actually happened. It is also critical if the findings of any enquiries are to be credible. Already, there are growing doubts that the world will ever get to know the truth of the explosions.
The attack also has serious implications for security globally. It elevated the geopolitical contest to the domain of cross-border infrastructure, threatening its security even at peace time.
In this regard, the attack has created a dangerous precedent. If the egregious act is to be repeated or followed, attacks on adversaries’ civilian infrastructure could become a new normal. Consequently, no public infrastructure, be they seabed cables or satellites, would be safe.
The costs would be significant. An enormous amount of resources would, for example, have to be diverted to prevent potential sabotage. Therefore, it is extremely important for the world that those responsible for the explosions be held accountable so that the buds of a new version of state-sponsored terrorism can be nipped.
In opposing a UN-led investigation, the Biden administration maintained that UN resources should be preserved. However, if a small bottle of white powder, as presented by then US secretary of state Colin Powell before the UN Security Council in February 2003, was expected to justify the US invasion of Iraq, an incident of this magnitude certainly warrants a UN-led investigation.
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On the contrary, the White House should welcome the international investigation. A UN-led inquiry would be a good opportunity for it to vindicate its claim of innocence while belying Russian “disinformation”.
As the Chinese saying goes, a man with a clear conscience would not be stirred by knocks on the door at midnight. To obstruct the international investigation would leave the world with the impression that the White House has something to hide.
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In fact, there would no more effective way to raise suspicion over the Biden administration’s claims of innocence, which would surely undercut the credibility of the US as a responsible international player.
In truth, Ye Gong was merely fond of the dragon’s images, rather than of the dragon itself. Similarly, the Biden administration seems to be enthusiastic about investigations of others, but never of itself, especially when they might expose its own wrongdoings.
Zhou Xiaoming is a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing and a former deputy representative of China’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva
