"...they're an aggressor and they will do it again, if they're not stopped. And they have not been stopped." We should listen to them. With Iran in the midst of what could turn hot very quickly as a civil war, North Korea sending the Japanese into nuclear bomb shelters, and now Xi stating flatly they will use military force over the next five years to reunify with Taiwan if necessary, we should listen. We should also be sending as many weapons systems to these countries now as we can ahead of the coming disaster. When the balloon goes up, it will be too late to ship things that might otherwise have helped. God help us.
The FSB, a good example of Russian paranoia, has roots that stretch back to the rule of Ivan the Terrible. Paranoid people/governments should be watched.
One thing I remember from my visit to Talinn and Riga is that since the fall of the Soviet Union the cities had self-segregated into, for example, Latvians and Russian-Speaking Latvians. These areas were distinct in terms of location, schools and language taught in schools, businesses, etc. I was not there long enough to discern whether there was still a lot of animus between the two coexisting groups but I assume there must have been some. I assume this is the residual effect of the Soviet Union's effort to relocate citizens to these countries to establish and maintain control of them.
I have not been to Ukraine but from what I can tell the Eastern part of Ukraine is equivalent to the Russian-speaking sections of the Baltics given the statistics that I see about this region.
I have also read, but have no first hand knowledge, that since 2014 the ethnic Russians in the East of Ukraine were under frequent peril of attack by ethnic Ukrainians. If this is true, then it is a different situation from that of those in the Baltic states. In these states, although the political leadership is dominated by Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians, there is some representation by the ethnic Russians in government. More importantly, there seems to be tense but peaceful coexistence that has not deteriorated to violence between the groups. I would imagine that Russia could feel compelled to act if the leadership in Talinn, for example, decided to begin to violently oppose the ethnic Russians in their country.
There is a lot of tension in the Baltics states regarding their Russian minority. This is particularly true in Latvia and Estonia because their ethnic Russian population is higher than Lithuania's.
I'm absolutely on the side of the Baltics, but I will admit that not everything happening in Latvia (which I'm most informed about) is entirely helpful. In Latvia, for example, they are understandably anxious to strengthen their Latvian heritage and temper Russian influence. When Latvia became independent, learning Latvian and changing your surname to match Latvian grammar were requirements to receive Latvian citizenship. Many Russians refused even among those that stayed in Latvia, so there persists a sizeable population of Russian citizens that are Latvian residents.
They are painfully aware that Russia sees areas with Russian minorities and culture as excuses to assert political pressure and, as seen with Ukraine, invade. They worked towards banning Russian-speaking schools, they've removed Soviet-era monuments & memorials. Russia (and those loyal to it in Latvia) cries foul and claim that the Russian minority is being oppressed. Every step taken seems to escalate the conflicts, such as Latvia banning all Russian TV channels when Ukraine was invaded (again, I don't disagree with that but it doesn't make the situation easier). They're stuck in a bit of a vicious cycle.
"...they're an aggressor and they will do it again, if they're not stopped. And they have not been stopped." We should listen to them. With Iran in the midst of what could turn hot very quickly as a civil war, North Korea sending the Japanese into nuclear bomb shelters, and now Xi stating flatly they will use military force over the next five years to reunify with Taiwan if necessary, we should listen. We should also be sending as many weapons systems to these countries now as we can ahead of the coming disaster. When the balloon goes up, it will be too late to ship things that might otherwise have helped. God help us.
Sī vīs pācem, parā bellum
I agree with you. Russia only understands and fears real power.
The FSB, a good example of Russian paranoia, has roots that stretch back to the rule of Ivan the Terrible. Paranoid people/governments should be watched.
Perhaps an idea for a post. How the potential speaker wants to slow aid to Ukraine and in the process weaken presumably the whole effort to push back against Putin. https://twitter.com/connorobrienNH/status/1582357284147015681
If the Baltics want to remain independent, they need to obtain nuclear weapons - NOW.
One thing I remember from my visit to Talinn and Riga is that since the fall of the Soviet Union the cities had self-segregated into, for example, Latvians and Russian-Speaking Latvians. These areas were distinct in terms of location, schools and language taught in schools, businesses, etc. I was not there long enough to discern whether there was still a lot of animus between the two coexisting groups but I assume there must have been some. I assume this is the residual effect of the Soviet Union's effort to relocate citizens to these countries to establish and maintain control of them.
I have not been to Ukraine but from what I can tell the Eastern part of Ukraine is equivalent to the Russian-speaking sections of the Baltics given the statistics that I see about this region.
I have also read, but have no first hand knowledge, that since 2014 the ethnic Russians in the East of Ukraine were under frequent peril of attack by ethnic Ukrainians. If this is true, then it is a different situation from that of those in the Baltic states. In these states, although the political leadership is dominated by Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians, there is some representation by the ethnic Russians in government. More importantly, there seems to be tense but peaceful coexistence that has not deteriorated to violence between the groups. I would imagine that Russia could feel compelled to act if the leadership in Talinn, for example, decided to begin to violently oppose the ethnic Russians in their country.
There is a lot of tension in the Baltics states regarding their Russian minority. This is particularly true in Latvia and Estonia because their ethnic Russian population is higher than Lithuania's.
I'm absolutely on the side of the Baltics, but I will admit that not everything happening in Latvia (which I'm most informed about) is entirely helpful. In Latvia, for example, they are understandably anxious to strengthen their Latvian heritage and temper Russian influence. When Latvia became independent, learning Latvian and changing your surname to match Latvian grammar were requirements to receive Latvian citizenship. Many Russians refused even among those that stayed in Latvia, so there persists a sizeable population of Russian citizens that are Latvian residents.
They are painfully aware that Russia sees areas with Russian minorities and culture as excuses to assert political pressure and, as seen with Ukraine, invade. They worked towards banning Russian-speaking schools, they've removed Soviet-era monuments & memorials. Russia (and those loyal to it in Latvia) cries foul and claim that the Russian minority is being oppressed. Every step taken seems to escalate the conflicts, such as Latvia banning all Russian TV channels when Ukraine was invaded (again, I don't disagree with that but it doesn't make the situation easier). They're stuck in a bit of a vicious cycle.
Listen to this:
https://youtu.be/Y-5t926gzaU
Thoughts?