From Baseball to the Baltic Sea

In Far Middle episode 174, Nick leads off by acknowledging Constitution Day and its significance.

Next up, the episode’s September 18, 2024, release date coincides with the 30^th anniversary of the premiere of Ken Burns' 1994 Baseball documentary. Nick celebrates Burns’ Emmy-winning series for this week’s sports dedication, calling it the greatest sports documentary ever made. Burns’ only error? Compressing the 1970 to 1992 period into one episode. 

Leaving the baseball field, Nick then dedicates the bulk of the episode to a detailed account of the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage that occurred in September 2022. That sabotage represents a “sequence of events that are right out of a spy novel or suspense movie that deserve a documentary of its own,” says Nick.

Nick presents a fascinating examination of the Nord Stream pipeline attack, describing how the plan allegedly originated in a Ukrainian bar in May 2022. He recounts how a small team of Ukrainian military officers and civilians carried out the operation using a rented yacht, with skilled divers planting explosives on the pipeline. 

Beyond the operation’s details, Nick also discusses the geopolitical implications of the sabotage and the reactions of various countries, including Germany, Russia, Poland, and the United States. He explores the evidence pointing to Ukrainian involvement, while also noting the official denials issued by Ukrainian authorities. Nick emphasizes the significant economic and political repercussions of the attack, particularly for Germany.

Transitioning from this spy-thriller-like story, Nick stays in the arena of foreign policy and national defense. He connects to America’s nuclear strategy, arguing a nuclear deterrence strategy may no longer be effective against modern adversaries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

“Nuclear deterrence, to work, requires mutual, rational thinking from both sides, not just us,” says Nick. “And I don't think assuming our enemies will apply such thinking is a safe assumption these days. Pursuing a modern Strategic Defense Initiative by employing interceptors, that would strengthen America's hand to coerce those adversaries into submission and ultimately to call their bluffs. Climate change is not anything close to our biggest threat these days. Let's wake up and look around the map.”

Nick concludes by noting we need to remain vigilant all along the watchtower when it comes to nuclear threat, which provides a fitting closing connection to episode 174’s release date to reflect on Jimi Hendrix and his much-too-early death at age 27 on September 18, 1970, “one of the greatest extinguished.” Give a listen for Nick’s favorite Hendrix song, and see where Hendrix ranks on Nick’s list of The Ten Greatest Guitarists in Rock History.