Putin's Vice Grip Wrench

"North Stream" is what the Russians call their oil pipeline. Now, writes Spiegel Online, Putin wants a new gas pipeline project to cut through Bulgaria. This will give competition to the troubled European pipeline Nabucco, "but also entrenches Europe's dependence on Russian gas." Hoo boy. Russia's plan is to make Europe dependent on its natural gas. If that happens, Moscow could one day wield more influence in the West than ever. Putin has again thrown a wrench in the system. In Sofia on Friday and Saturday, he secured Bulgarian agreement for a new pipeline to cross the country on its way further into Europe. The project is called South Stream, and it's in direct competition with the EU joint project known as Nabucco. The pipeline named after a Giuseppe Verdi's opera connects Europe directly to the sources of gas in the Caspian Sea and in Central Asia -- and the idea was to circumvent Russia altogether. FULL STORY...