| Topic: |
Science > Prophecies-Of-Nostradamus |
| User: |
"The Court Fool" |
| Date: |
06 May 2005 11:01:55 AM |
| Object: |
The Baltic States: An EU Brake on Baltic Anti-Russian, Pro-U.S. Sentiment |
They can listen to the filth WH*RE at their own peril.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Baltic States: An EU Brake on Baltic Anti-Russian, Pro-U.S.
Sentiment
May 04, 2005 22 27 GMT
Summary
The Baltic states -- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania -- continue to serve
as a political battleground for the European Union, Russia and the
United States. U.S. President George W. Bush's May 6-7 visit to Latvia
is intended to solidify already-dominant U.S. geopolitical influence
over the trio, and so provide Washington increased leverage with Russia
and Europe. The Baltic governments also are trying to influence
big-power politics, particularly in terms of hardening EU and U.S.
attitudes toward Russia. But while the Bush administration welcomes the
opportunity to put more pressure on Russia, the European Union does
not.
Analysis
U.S. President George W. Bush will stop in Latvia on May 6-7 to meet
with his Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian counterparts before attending
May 9 Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, commemorating the 60th
anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe in World War II.
With this visit, Washington seeks to solidify its geopolitical
influence over the region, advance its anti-Russian agenda and gain
additional leverage for dealings with the European Union and Russia.
The Baltic states -- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania -- are using Bush's
visit to further strain political relations between the United States
and Russia. While this behavior generally does not conflict with
Washington's interests, the European Union will not find it so
agreeable and will corner the Baltics into having to reconcile some of
their differences with Russia.
Bush is using his visit to Latvia to tell both the European Union and
Russia that the Baltic states are securely and irreversibly under U.S.
influence, and his overall agenda communicates anti-Russian sentiment
to Moscow. Not only is Bush's Moscow visit sandwiched between trips to
Riga and Tbilisi, he also will pay his respects to Riga's Freedom
monument. This memorial represents Latvian resistance to communism, and
was chosen over many prominent World War II memorials -- such as
Salaspils, the largest Nazi death camp in the Baltics, where more than
100,000 victims perished. Such a single-minded dedication to the darker
side of the Soviet Union on the eve of the celebration of the Allied
victory over Nazism strikes many -- including Latvia's Russian minority
-- as tacky.
In addition, the sheer size of Bush's delegation communicates
Washington's authority over the region. He will be bringing more than
700 people with him to Latvia even though no other European heads of
state will be visiting the region before the Moscow celebrations.
Moscow grudgingly will accept Washington's bold statement, but the
Baltic governments will encounter problems on the European front.
Russia realizes that it has lost much of its influence in the former
Soviet Union states, and Russian President Vladimir Putin currently
lacks the political will to reassert it. Recent pro-Western
"revolutions" in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine serve as constant
reminders of Russia's weakening geopolitical influence.
The Baltic governments will encounter economic and political conflicts
of interest when it comes to fully acceding to pro-U.S. policies when
dealing with the European Union. Although the EU does not share the
same distrust of Russia as the Baltics do, the Baltic governments
cannot deny the economic benefits and increase in political influence
they now enjoy on account of their new EU membership. Economically
speaking, the Baltics are securely integrated into the European
economy. The trio receives significant amounts of aid from the European
Union in addition to larger markets and the greater availability and
variety of goods. The Baltics also are scheduled to join the eurozone
-- and thus to share a common currency with most of Europe -- by 2010.
Politically, the Baltics also will have to reconcile their strong
disdain for Russia with European pressure to normalize relations with
Moscow. Current EU pressure on Estonia and Latvia to sign border
agreements with Russia illustrates this balancing act. The European
Union has said it will not allow Estonia or Latvia to join the other
Schengen states -- the members of which share internal freedom of
movement -- until they have signed border agreements with Russia
regarding competing territorial claims. Such an agreement would
represent a complete reversal for Latvian President Vaira
Vike-Freiberga, who initially asserted unilateral territorial claims to
the disputed areas.
The Baltic governments also are trying to define the shape of
geopolitical powers in the region with the general goal of worsening
relations between the United States and Russia. The Baltic Assembly --
the interparliamentary body of the Baltic states -- took the initiative
to increase tensions between Russia and the United States by writing
Bush a letter asking him to bring global awareness to Soviet occupation
of the region. Bush's response acknowledging Soviet occupation of the
region was highly publicized in the Baltic media, though one would be
hard-pressed to find any mention of his letter in the U.S. media.
Bush's visit to Latvia will confirm U.S. dominance of the Baltics. An
American presence conveniently bolsters the Baltic governments' tactics
of pitting larger geopolitical powers against one another to secure
their own interests. However, the Baltics will need to realize that EU
membership will inhibit any attempt by these countries to jump
completely into the pro-American, anti-Russian camps.
.
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
