Yeah but then again that is the BBC/NY Times, i mean do you really expect them to say anything bad about Putin?

You seriously think that the BBC (I can't comment on the NY Times) is too nice about Putin?

Its too nice about all hostile leaders we (Americans, but to a lesser extent the British themselves) face in the world.

Well, your nation could change the currency it trades it vast energy resources. How about, uhm, into Euros "e.g." ?

And yes, the United States are still maintaining several military bases in Germany. If you ask me, they can deploy a million boots to Germany, best would be already tomorrow. I wouldn't mind more american soldiers spending their pay in german shops and bars.

I think the german emancipation from Washington began in 2002, when Chancelor Schroeder refused to participate in Indiana George's adventures in Mess-O-Potamia. The neocon chickenhawks gave us the finger for that, and since then our masses focus rather on Europe when they talk about the political future of Germany.

__________________
"I think that gay marriage should be allowed."
- John McCain on an episode of Hardball, 2006, before the commercial break

"I do not believe that gay marriage should be legal."
- John McCain on the same episode of Hardball, after the commercial break

"John McCain does not speak for the John McCain campaign."
- Tucker Bounds, Spokesman of the John McCain presidential campaign.

The straight talk express. You gotta love it.

That's called beeing cosmopolitan. And it's actually a good thing. Well, at least in Europe.

__________________
"I think that gay marriage should be allowed."
- John McCain on an episode of Hardball, 2006, before the commercial break

"I do not believe that gay marriage should be legal."
- John McCain on the same episode of Hardball, after the commercial break

"John McCain does not speak for the John McCain campaign."
- Tucker Bounds, Spokesman of the John McCain presidential campaign.

The straight talk express. You gotta love it.

Yeah right!

Who has acknowledged what achievements?

Utter garbage, we stood with the likes of Yuschenko and the evil twins in those countries' fight for freedom, they are allied with us and have great relations with us.

Russia has done all it can to scupper that.

Oh i dunno, if the Soviets...sorry, the Russians didn't have the world's largest nuclear arsenal maybe it wouldn't be a problem.

Maybe if Western Europe pulled its finger out over issues of nuclear weapons we wouldn't have such a problem....

Yeah they'd have no reason to be weary of Russia would they?

We're not gonna change oy ways or Soviet appeasement and we won't abandon our allies in the region either.

No, it's free speech, which is definitely a good thing, although not strictly cosmpolitan.

Most people have seen reports about how Putin has been able to expand the Russian middle class and improve life in the bigger cities.

Do you really think Russia is treating those nations badly? It just wants to be the boss like the US. Russia even supplies Ukraine with cheap gas.

__________________
When WW2 had ended everyone joined the resistance.

Ha! They can't even figure out how to proccess waivers for vias for the CL final And that's to the UK and its citizens, not some third world country, (though sometimes you do wonder) but then again we all know what the relations are with the British and Russians!

What about the Russian economy? Rolling back democratic reforms?

The infant mortality rate?

Freedom of a free press?

Just wonderful eh?

The difference between us is we want those nations to live in freedom.

The Russians want them to live as if it were back during the times of Soviet dominance with puppets accross the continent(s).

Cheap gas? Putin turned off the damn supply!

Sorry, I have quit playing this game of dividing posts long ago. If you want to say something about the impact of US interests on the relations between Russia and Europe, you can do that and I will be pleased to respond to that. But if have to carve my post up into a dozen pieces of nothing before you can answer it, that doesn't bother me much.

__________________
"I think that gay marriage should be allowed."
- John McCain on an episode of Hardball, 2006, before the commercial break

"I do not believe that gay marriage should be legal."
- John McCain on the same episode of Hardball, after the commercial break

"John McCain does not speak for the John McCain campaign."
- Tucker Bounds, Spokesman of the John McCain presidential campaign.

The straight talk express. You gotta love it.

(1) Because the US has such a wonderful, efficient beurocracy? And, BTW, the visa issue has been sorted out. The relationship between the UK and Russia is not your business.

(2) US economy? The US electoral system?

(3) The only difference is the sanctimonious nature of America's interference.

(4) Do you have any proof whatsoever for this? Even if it's true, what makes it different from what the US or the EU is doing?

Well President Bush have made some nice statements about Putin,
but please don't ask me what exactly he said or when, as I'm not the one calling himself the ultimate Bush supporter.


Didn't know that Poland under the evil twins had to "fight for freedom".

By the way what do you call "great relations"?

__________________
"bellum omnium contra omnes; atque in eo bello jus esse omnibus in omnia."
Thomas Hobbes

"Homo Homini Lupus"
Thomas Hobbes

Bush said he saw the soul of Putin, what achievements does that refference? That the man isn't the devil?

I guess that's something we should all be grateful for?

They, well he, ran against someone who wanted closer ties to Russia and less of a "Kremlin-independant" Poland. Not quite the revolutions that saw the Orange of Ukraine but still an important victory.

See i don't buy into this obnoxious mentality of "they're small pathetic nations", i actually appreciate and recognise their worth and the incredible help they have given us. The support in Iraq, in intelligence operations, rendition, use of air space, supporting shields and BMD plans, the secret prisons they let us use their land for etc. The support we have given them in causes of joining Nato etc, supporting their right for military expansion etc.

And i don't just mean Poland, i mean Hungary, the Ukraine, now Georgia too, Austria etc....a lot of eastern European relations have been great.

Even post Twins era we still have a great relationship with Poland, due to our common philosophy of a Democratic Eastern Europe.

I doubt that the stance towards Russia was that important for the election of the evil twins.

__________________
"bellum omnium contra omnes; atque in eo bello jus esse omnibus in omnia."
Thomas Hobbes

"Homo Homini Lupus"
Thomas Hobbes

What tripe! The Russians couldn't proccess for shit, so they waived the Visa issue altogether. Why didn't they have anyone to proccess it? Well you already know the problem there with expelled diplomats and thus he complete hal of relations protecting citizens of both countries....

Really? I guess my UK citizenship doesn't give me a right to voice concern about a problematic nation the UK has issues with?

I guess being a dual citizen really is just a pain in the ass...

Its still based on free market and not based on our government seizing and freezing the assets of political dissenters like in Russia.

Which is the single most representative/most democratic system in the world...

Yeah, sure.

We're the ones who go around poisoning folks and opressing political dissent in Europe.

Look at Yanakovich! Putin wantd him and yet even poisoning Yuschnko look at who and what was the outcome.

And we don't want puppets who basically follow our orders, look at Poland for example. A new more liberal government have come in and yet even though we don't agree on everything we discuss it out and respect one another wishes, not ram everything we can down one another's throats.