Putin turns 70 in May. He’s got to be looking ripe for replacement by younger ambitious Russian autocrats.
He should stay away from windows.
…and certain beverages
Offensive F-word
The use of the Cold War term “Finlandization” and its connotations of an independent country bowing to outside pressures always arouses reaction in Finland itself.
The New York Times wrote that French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in Moscow on Monday before meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine’s Finlandization is one of the possible ways to resolve the ongoing crisis.
Iltalehti reports that Finland’s former National Coalition Party Prime Minister Alexander Stubb responded to the report with a tweet saying, “The use of the term ‘Finlandization’ - whether in or out of context - is considered Offensive in Finnish foreign policy discourse. Has been used by pundits and political leaders over the years - knowingly or mistakenly. Old terms for new situations rarely work.”
Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt also tweeted that Macron’s remark “did not win him points in Finland” and that " It hardly went down very well in Ukraine either."
Mika Aaltola, director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, shared Bildt’s tweet and added, “What happens in and to Ukraine, does not stay in Ukraine. This applies also to the dubious model of finlandization.”
Kristi Raik, director of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute, described Macron’s suggestion as “disturbing”.
“Let’s not forget that the Soviet Union wanted to make Finland part of the Eastern bloc, which the Finns managed to resist, but it was very hard, a constant struggle to limit Kremlin’s incursion into Finland’s sovereignty. Finland’s experience cannot be recommended to anyone,” wrote Raik.
“Retires”
In December 2006 Halla-aho wrote in his blog Scripta on immigration that, “Since rapes will increase in any case, the appropriate people should be raped: in other words, green-leftist do-gooders and their supporters", naming some of the politicians which led to a police investigation.
In another text, he asked if it could be stated that robbing passersby and living on taxpayers’ expense are cultural and possibly genetic characteristics of Somalis.
Halla-aho has been accused of racism by academics and members of the Finnish government, and has been connected to the counterjihad movement. He denies that he is xenophobic and maintains that he is simply “critical of immigration”,and that he has supporters among immigrants, as well.
Etc…
United States’ relationship with the world can be summed up in one phrase: They get away with it.
China’s relationship with the world can be summed up in one phrase: They get away with it.
EU’s relationship with the world can be summed up in one phrase: They get away with it.
Etc
They make appointments now?
Sorry, i cant fit in any invasions tomorrow. Could you try again next Tuesday?
