Well, Sarmatian and Aemilius, all I can say is, that if you are incensed by my description of Russia or Serbia, just wait and relax with the prospect of Seamus returning to this thread to find his political beliefs described as borderline fascist.

Or, in other words, I have no axe to grind with either Serbia or Russia. You get the same treatment Peasant Phil and Andres get about Belgium, Adrian and Frags about the Netherlands, Rabbit and Don Corleone over the US, HoreTore over Norway, perenially hard-done by Furunculus over the UK, etc. I just barge in and take painstaking care not to mind my own business.

@Aemilius: Yes, I deal in generalizations. As you say, generalizations can serve a justified purpose. In this case, it served to hide my lack of true insight while still allowing for the grand pompous statement.

I don't care whether Russia is a great power or a humiliated power or a future power. All I care about is for ordinary Russians to have a life of peace, dignity, and a tasty chicken in the pot. And central heating if at all possible.


~~-~~-~~<<oOo>>~~-~~-~~


Quote Originally Posted by Sarmatian View Post
But, unfortunately, there's some truth in your words. Can't say for Russia (although I do believe there is similarity), but definitely for Serbia.
Hah!

You mean Biden's visit to Serbia? Or something involving Russia?
I thought that Obama went to Moscow, hoping to 'push the reset button' for US-Russia relations. Maybe the phrase derived from a visit by H. Clinton. Or from a mistranslation. I dunno.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert..._b_236604.html (Much abridged version of article):
After Obama Visit, Russia Resets to Default


For all the talk of "reset button diplomacy," by the time Obama left the continent, Russia had rebooted to default, exhibiting some of the most regrettable conduct and tragic events it has become known for over the past decade.


Obama seems like he has good intentions and fewer illusions about Russia, but let's face it: it is a high cost, low reward diplomatic problem. Given the current route being pursued in Washington, we are not likely to see any eye-opening changes following this latest murder. To Russia's delight, the Obama administration has found itself cornered into a guilty position, willing to apologize for anything and everything. Washington currently suffers from some very unreal assumptions based on groupthink - repeating like a mantra, we must respect Russia to work with Russia . The same goes for Europe. A high-ranking German official recently commented to me, "Whenever Russia behaves outrageously, everyone in Germany starts asking what we did to cause it."

When we subscribe to this victim narrative, measuring our words about Russia's human rights problem while journalists go down before the firing squads, who exactly do we think we are helping?

Anna Akhmatova may have nailed it back when she wrote, "She loves, loves blood, this Russian earth." But with the spilling of Estemirova's, it is high time we realize that it is on our hands too.