The long-awaited Nord Stream 2 (NS2) pipeline is arguably the world’s most contentious energy project. While its completion was uncertain for a long time, favorable political, economic, and environmental developments have worked in its favor. Recently, Gazprom, the owner and operator of the pipeline, announced its completion . However, legal challenges remain which threaten its quick startup, a startup that would be in Russia’s long-term and Europe’s short-term interest. By now, most readers who follow international energy developments know the Russian gas pipeline project has split Europe. Eastern Europe, which has a distrust of Moscow due to historic reasons, objected to the project as it fears that it would increase Russia’s influence. The Germans, who stand to gain the most, insisted for a long time on the commercial character of the initiative. Berlin implicitly accepted the political implications of the project when it struck an agreement with the U.S. […]