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What a silly headline. The polling absolutely does not show this.
The polling shows that Eastern Europe views Russia as a huge threat, and does not view the U.S. as a threat (which should be fairly obvious, as Russia is the one invading Eastern Europe, and the U.S. is the one protecting Eastern Europe).
I'm sorry but I can barely contain my laughter. You really think the US protects Eastern Europe? They only protect Islamic separatists like the UCK in Kosovo and Muhadjeen in Bosnia.
I didn't understand your first question about France but anyway about the rest (will try to make it as short as possible :
It's very realistic. It was considered also unrealistic in 2005 for Bulgaria/Romania to join the EU. The crisis in Greece was also considered unrealistic as were the bombs in Turkey and France.
I can even tell you exactly how it's going to happen: Recently Viktor Orban, the "unofficial leader" of Eastern Europe invited Bulgaria to join V4, which is the "Visegrad coalition", basically a smaller version of EU between Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland I think. Such organization can be the prototype of something bigger just like the EU wasn't popular under this name back in the days.
Also, who says that all countries in Eastern Europe should be included? Fine drop Poland as well as Ukraine, Belarus, Serbia. What about everyone else? Even Greece when hey default on the next loan?
All you need is improved economy in countries like Hungary/Slovakia in the next 5-10 years I'm seeing countries like these setting the rules.
Russians will not compensate a **** - because all you said is a lie, a distorted picture of history put into your brain by corrupted politicized historians.
People who were sent to Siberia from Baltic states were criminals, killing and robbing peaceful citizens.
...
Sorry, but I can't let that pass. It was only violent criminals sent to Siberia? That statement would be extreme even in Russian nationalist circles. I guess this type of myth-making helps justify Russian imperialism; I'm sure that you'll be lionizing Stalin next. The truth is that as demonized as the Nazis were, even they were not as bad for the Balts as were the Soviets. Certainly there was good mixed in with the bad, with Latvia and Lithuania getting the investment, as you say, and industrialization / infrastructure, though the concrete housing blocks still blight the landscape to this day, and Lithuania got to keep its contested capital and surrounding lands. Such were the crumbs thrown to slaves. Or will you next be saying that the Balts and Estonian welcomed their 'liberators'?
Back to the deportation of Lithuanian 'criminals' - your statement is easily refuted. How do you account for the fact that entire families were deported? Were they all thieves and murderers? Even considering that 70% of them were women and children? And with Khrushchev's allowing the survivors to return to Lithuania in 1953 - I guess that was a huge crime wave - all of these thieves and murderers descending on the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic like gypsies? Bah, your statement is way, way outside of the pale and not fit for civilized company.
I know that's a non-news but for the first time the polling highlights how both Russia and America are seen as "threats" by varying degrees, as follows in these random examples:
Russia sees as biggest threat the US: 64%.
Ukraine, biggest threat: Russia, 52%.
Bulgaria, biggest threat: US, 14%.
Hungary, biggest threat: Russia: 14%
I am sure that SOME were sent to Siberia for legitimate reasons, but many were not; they were deported to Siberia for the heck of it, just to "dilute" the local population and to create the new mix somewhere else ( namely - in Kazakhstan and Siberia.) Russia can be quite a "moloch" ( Ariete used this word correctly) when it comes to people's destinies, and particularly during Stalin's times. But same fate befall many ethnic Russians too, so it would be incorrect to think that it were ethnic Russians sitting pretty and enjoying all the benefits of the system, while other ethnicities were under attack.
This is also true that Baltic countries were among the poorest in Russian empire, Latvia in particular, hence their disproportionate participation in Communist revolution. Latvians suffered during Soviet time the most as well; their population dwindled down significantly - may be it's true what Solzhenitsyn said about them as in "revolution devouring its own children."
After the war Soviet government invested in Baltic countries too - it's true again, but it's not like they became part of the Soviet Union volonteerly.
I don't know if the purpose was to dillute nationalities, I don't think they cared much about that in the Stalin era. But they did remove most people who were perceived as a potential threat -- mainly richer farmers and businessmen, also intelligentsia.
I'm sorry but I can barely contain my laughter. You really think the US protects Eastern Europe?
Yes, I really do think so. Crazy, but true. Who knew that countries didn't want to be invaded and subjugated by Russia all over again? I thought Poland would welcome Putin's stormtroopers with open arms!
And so does all of Eastern Europe. They all want/need the U.S. protection, which is why they are all begging to be part of NATO, and why they are all begging the U.S. to have a military presence. No EE country has a military to stop the Russians.
Yes, I really do think so. Crazy, but true. Who knew that countries didn't want to be invaded and subjugated by Russia all over again? I thought Poland would welcome Putin's stormtroopers with open arms!
And so does all of Eastern Europe. They all want/need the U.S. protection, which is why they are all begging to be part of NATO, and why they are all begging the U.S. to have a military presence. No EE country has a military to stop the Russians.
This is the definition of Paranoia from wikipedia:
"Paranoia is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality.[1] Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself (e.g. "Everyone is out to get me"). "
Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me it's 1986 again, as the world is divided between USRR commies and Muricans.
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