Baltic States Sacrifice Economy on Altar of Politics
by Adomas Abromaitis
Making negative statements concerning Russia, the Baltic States set Moscow against themselves and force it to respond. Especially they irritate it making unproven warlike statements for the sake of “common line” of the EU or NATO on the issue. But as John Steinbeck said “all war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal.”
After major information campaign in the Baltic States aimed to discredit Zapad 2017 military exercise, Russia tries to find the most vulnerable places to hurt the Baltic States. It is absolutely evident, that such sphere is economy. For a long time Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have been tightened to Russia and even remain to be dependent on it. Instead of finding points of contact (as Germany does) the Baltic leaders make their best to worsen the situation.
The trouble is Russia responds not only with words but with real actions. The last example is the Moscow’s decision to develop the capacity and infrastructure at own ports in order to re-direct export cargos away from the ports of the Baltic states. Latvian Ambassador to Russia Maris Riekstins said in an interview with LETA that he sees “a strong political element” in such decision. He noted doubt about the decision being economically substantiated. There is nothing to be surprised. Our politicians can’t separate politics and economy. That is the problem. Even Ukraine that has a lot of serious claims to Russia, continues to trade with it.
The leading EU nation – Germany – make only pragmatic steps in the relationship with Russia that has huge potential, own natural resources and ambitions. The Baltic States have only ambitions. Authorities should admit that the advantage is not on their side. It does not mean that Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia may not have their own positions on the international agenda. Of course they may and even might! But politicians first of all should not only “win a war, but organize peace”, everyday life of ordinary people. It means they should care about the future of the country and restrain their ambitions in order not do no harm to their nations.
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linked somewhat with this article there’s an interesting piece over on NEO by Phil Butler:
https://journal-neo.org/2017/10/05/the-guardian-s-nazification/
Regarding the Nazification of the Guardian. Which looks at the agenda behind those promoting anti-Putin rhetoric. Phil Butler reveals that the out going EU ambassador to Russia Vygaudas Ušackas a Lithuanian who is an arch Russophobe with a family background of Russian hating Nazi sympathisers.
Phil Butler draws the interesting conclusion that, “Should I be vexed at The Guardian for publishing anti-Russia bias views at ever turn? Or is it more ridiculous for the European Union to insult Russia at every moment and appointment possible? “
The Baltic states have gained little from their association with the EU and from their stupid arrogance towards their great benefactor, Russia. Tragically, most of their youth have by now emigrated to find basic work further West and have no intention of returning. Salaries and pensions are still incredibly low in comparison to other senior member states – OAPs are on about €100 pm (and this will decrease if the government has its way) whereas in a fellow state like Ireland, pensioners are used to €240 per ‘week’. This is an enormous difference. So much for solidarity, equality, fairness and all that. A good salary in Lithuania is €350-€400 pm, a basic subsistence weekly income in France. The problem is that the cost of living is not any lower in the Baltics… even though LIDL and other chains have opened now, it has been shown that they are seriously reducing the quality of their products for the Baltics, but charging the same prices. How humiliating for countries used in former times to superior quality fresh native produce. Now small farmers will be ‘regulated’ out of business. The politicians are so busy kowtowing to EU and Nato interests that they have little time or inclination to care about the plight of their people. Grybuskaite portrays herself as a glowing beacon of liberal western values even though she was such a good little communist when it suited her earlier career, even studying at the special university in St Petersburg for up and coming party types. It’s a case of biting off your nose to spite your face. They are so busy stirring up an unnatural and irrational hatred of everything Russian, suppressing the Russian language even in towns where 80% of the people use it as their first language (very un-EU) – like Daugavpils Latvia, where the mayor was recently ‘fined’ for speaking Russian to children during a visit to a local school.. Lithuania has decommissioned it’s giant nuclear power station at Visaginas (another mostly Russian town) which with its 4 reactors could be producing enough power for sale to the whole Baltic region. Instead they have now built (at great cost) a new port facility at Klaipeda to receive and reprocess shipments of American shale gas from across the Atlantic. Russia is being scapegoated for all the negative aftershocks of the collapse of the USSR, but during that time (remembered with longing by so many now), peripheral regions like the Baltics received much greater investment in industry and infrastructure than Russia itself and their standard of living was higher.
Yes I agree, the lack of tolerance for ethnic majorities is out of kilter with the whole PC agenda of the EU. The same can be said for Ukraine and Moldova suppressing native speakers of Russian.
What it does highlight though is the dual standards that are at work. Take for example the whole Neo-Liberal band wagon under way in the US and UK with the Guardian amongst others leading the charge. You will not find any honest assessment of the rising political fascism in the Baltic states, Ukraine and Poland for example. What we do have is the Baltic’s being now a boot camp for NATO (USA’s military flange in Europe) exercises on Russia’s boarder. And the WMSM running any story, no matter how crazy and baseless to discredit Russia.
Unfortunately Russia made the mistake of moving its boarders up to NATO, by not expanding it’s reach as NATO did. The US promised they would not move NATO one inch further east after the reunification of Germany. But we all understand that a US verbal agreement is not worth the paper it’s written on. Oh, and even those written on paper too! Such as the Iranian Non-Nuclear treaty for example.
If Germany is so friendly to Russia, why doesn’t it pull out of NATO? Why doesn’t it expel the last of the foreign troops from its soil? The Russian troops left a generation ago.
“The Baltic States have only ambitions.”
What “ambitions” could such tiny states have? However, If they were magically moved to the Middle East they could possibly have “ambitions” as allies of Israel. 🙂
Because Germany is an occupied state under the boot of the US. The US has been transporting tanks and other heavy military equipment across Germany, using German bases for nuclear weapons and launching drone strikes (of which 90% kills are of innocent civilians).
Until the population of Europe rises up and kicks the US bases out and disbands NATO, nothing will change. Not to mention the billions lost to farmers and manufacturing industries due to the US enforced sanctions against Russia.
Absolutely spot on correct JJA.
Going further: the entire EU is openly occupied territory run out of Washington under NATO/SHAPE. The EU Commission is an occupation administration and NATO/SHAPE the enforcer.
Occupied and still-not-sovereign Germany is the HQ of USEUCOM (EUROCOM), our continent’s branch of CENTCOM.
On CENTCOM maps this includes Russia.
I’m pessimistic about EU’s citizens’ ability to overthrow this monster – liberation is (at present) more likely through empire collapse a la USSR. Meanwhile it is instructive to watch Turkey’s deteriorating relationship with NATO/USA : Turkey is NATO’s most important country by far and most important armed forces.
Such common sense ,isn’t it .Somewhat like not biting the hand that feeds you.
Yep, Russophobia isn’t going to put food on the table. The Baltics’ sucking up to NATO/EU was always going to boomerang since it was propelled by crass political opportunism on both sides. Moreover, the dishonourable part played by these unprepossessing apartheid states during the German occupation, where both the Latvian and Lithuanian Auxiliary Police were falling over themselves in helping the Nazis ethnically cleanse the region of the indigenous Jewish population, should hardly elicit sympathy. Bad karma, or you reap what you sow.