The secession and annexation of Crimea has been used as a catch-all excuse for myriad officials across the region to try to push their own pet agendas on the international community. Today, it’s Latvia and Estonia’s turn.
The tiny Baltic states are both pressing heavily for NATO to get more involved in operations in their countries, with each saying they need Western “boots on the ground” to stave off a Russian invasion.
Estonia sees Russia’s airbase in Pskov as proof they are a target. By contrast, Russia portrayed the airbase as a counter to NATO’s aggressive expansion in the region, incorporating the Baltics and courting other nations on the Russian frontier.
Latvian officials’ view of the threat is even more bizarre, seeing their comparative tolerance of their ethnic Russian minority as a disadvantage compared to Estonia and Lithuania. Many locals, particularly Russians, find this a perplexing argument, noting relations with Russia seem just fine.
In the end, the talking points are being pushed by the defense ministers of two nations with trivially small militaries, who see hyping the threat and getting NATO troops into the country as a path to making their portfolios more relevant than they realistically deserve to be.
I feel threatened by Canada. Only a fool would believe her lusting ambitions towards the north midwest have been sated… Can I get a few thousand salaried tourists… –er– soldiers near me, too?
Wow, the Nazi's are really crawling out of thw woodwork.
two very annoying States that act foolishly towards Russia who isn't their enemy
Historically I would say that Russia WAS an enemy of the Baltic peoples. Under both the Tsars and the Communists, they were annexed and absorbed into the Russian-Soviet state. The real question is, how does America benefit from an alliance with them? Is Estonia going to defend the U.S. from an invasion from Canada? Is it worth the risk of a war with Russia for America to defend them? What do Americans gain from the alliance? Any sensible risk/reward ratio would show that such an alliance is simply not worth it. The Baltic states should not have been allowed into NATO.
So how long will it take for McCrazy to demand that the Obama Administration send weapons and materiel to placate the whiners? Of course, if the USG responds to the pleadings they will fail to see the comparison between their actions and those of Russia in Crimea. We're Exceptional!!!
Of course NATO-slave governments say what they are told to say. Most even know what is expected.
Latvia and Estonia are the biggest moochers, getting more taxpayer handouts than Greece, Poland, Kosovo, and Bosnia. I hope they have to pay for all of this.
Hell no! The US is throwin money around like It's going out of style, so its only natural they will cry wolf.
Every country's "pet agenda" is its own continued existence as a sovereign and independent state in accordance with the will of its people. The US has hindered and obstructed every effort of the EU Member States to set up a defence structure independent of NATO. The key to all of this is Israel. An America that will not fight for Europe, that runs for cover as soon as it is faced with a nuclear power, however primitive and antiquated its weapons, will not fight for Israel. That is the last message Israel wants sent to its enemies. We will see just how powerful the Israel Lobby really is.
The two tiny states are pressing to take more NATO troops? I suspect they are being pressed to take them
In Europe everyone knows who which states belong to US. And those will, obediently, demand whatever US demands. Poland is the key US state, and it is clear from the crisis how Poland talks down to Germany — typical proxy game. Poland is lecturing Germany that its dependence on Russian energy is endangering security of Europe! That is Poland, that unlike Germany, gets 80% of its energy from Russia! And 60% of its exports go to Russia! Under normal circumstances, these states would not carry the bucket for another power. But we should also take into consideration that it is Vatican that is — with the election of the new "activist" Pope already proven his credentials. He is about to give sainthood to the wartime criminal, Cardinal Stjepinac of Croatia, complicit in the murder of hundreds of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Roma and Croatian communists and anti-nazi resistance fighters. He is helping the neonazis in Ukrainian Galicia, especially parties like Svoboda and Fatherland, but also Right Sector and National Front. He is also very active in "helping" Brazilian poor fight against the World Soccer Championship, and is up to his eyebrows in Venezuela, where rich are rebelling against poor. Neocon and Vatican are pulling ideological strings, and corporate sharks are profiting.
Cardinal Stjepinac will have good company with Thomas Moore who presided over the burnings of those the church deemed heretics.
yawn. MORE fear porn
this is why the rest of the world laughs at us. the Zionists waving the red flag of bullshit to stir the mighty bull goys to hate and get mad.
what are we? pets? like we were trained? like a dog? and were being told what to think? what next? told when to poop and when to jump and when to bite? maybe some "dog" tags in case we get lost
We don't know what things will turn into, just waiting to see the results. So long as can a peaceful solution, do not harm the interests of the masses.