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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThey Will Die in Tallinn': Estonia Girds for War With Russia
The head of the tiny NATO members special forces details his countrys preparations for a conflict many here see as inevitable.
By MOLLY K. MCKEW July 10, 2018
Pretty much no one in the Western alliance is looking forward to the next few days.
NATO heads of state are due to meet Wednesday in Brussels beneath the disinterested gaze of President Donald Trump before he jets off to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. In between, British Prime Minister Theresa Maywho faces a pending collision with the brick wall of Brexitmeets first with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and then with Trump. Its a rapid-fire series of what would usually be staid diplomatic photo-ops that could, in this iteration, seriously disrupt the international order that has made the United States a global superpower since the end of World War II.
While the president and other Republican envoys make reassuring entreaties to the Kremlin, Trump continues to view himself as the disruptor of NATO. In the weeks leading up to the NATO summit, the president again berated Americas allies for their defense spending. To push back, supporters of the trans-Atlantic framework that is the architecture of American power in the world are on an information blitz, heralding increased defense spending across the alliance.
All this has been accompanied by the usual cycle of pre-summit reports about NATOs defensive vulnerabilitiesincluding the choke point of the Suwalki Gap between Poland and Lithuania. And, as usual, its the allies to the north of that gap that are trying to stay focused on what matters most: the fundamental transformation of the alliance that is needed.
Almost 10 years after the Russian invasion of Georgia in August 2008, its clear NATO still needs to learn more quickly from our partners with a deeper history of fighting Russian aggression in all its various forms. Foremost of those partners is Estonia, which, unlike Georgia, is a full NATO member and has been since 2004.
Theres an unspoken duality underlying the mind-set of Estonian defense. To survive, you must integrate: The three Baltic statesEstonia plus Latvia and Lithuaniaacted as a unified region to achieve NATO and EU membership, and they continue to engage the U.S. and NATO from that B3 format above all. NATOs charter requires that the alliance come to the aid of any member who is attacked. But to survive as a small and vulnerable state, you must also believe that a crisis will come where you will again be on your own fighting the Russians, and you have to be prepared for that.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/07/10/they-will-die-in-tallinn-estonia-girds-for-war-with-russia-218965
Pendrench
(1,356 posts)We adopted our daughter from Latvia (19 years ago) and we stay in touch with many of the wonderful people whom we met and interacted with.
They are also very nervous as to what might happen.
Tim
turbinetree
(24,688 posts)this story should be tied to the reporting of this traitors visit to see his boss in Finland get together with a murder from Russia ....................what will this jerk do if Putins criminal gang decided to do this.....................not one media talking head is asking these and others questions to this treasonous team about this NATO partner and others ........................amazing. They want to report that he is talking about himself
tavernier
(12,374 posts)Im so very sad to say that most of the Latvian Americans I know voted for Trump, despite my screaming warnings. That comes from their continued hatred of Democrats since WWII and Roosevelt. I dont know about Lithuanian or Estonian Americans, but that might also be the case.
Yes, Im terrified!
BSdetect
(8,998 posts)sinkingfeeling
(51,443 posts)Hoping to get there and back before it all explodes.
Wounded Bear
(58,618 posts)including all of the territorial conquests the Tsars, and then the Communists held.
turbinetree
(24,688 posts)are very much in play for this hegemony by this crowd .......................and then there is traitor................
turbinetree
(24,688 posts)Basic LA
(2,047 posts)He was a right-winger who felt that Republicans were the only safeguard against an expansionist Russia. Wonder how he feels now.