I think they way it is being looked at is simplistic. Looking at the press reports there are plenty pointing the finger and deploring how human rights in Russia and press freedoms are curtailed.

This isn't about US does something and is criticised anyone else and that is OK.

There have been plenty other regimes criticised in the press apart from Bush.

The thing with this killing is that it is all to easy to immediately point at the Kremlin whenever someone prominent is killed, without there being proof of direct or indirect proof. There is also a fundamental misunderstanding in the press on how things work in Russia. There are more people than just Putin who want to keep snooping journalists out. That is how screwed up in someways things are there.

I don't think Putin is lily white but at the same time I think the press has found it too easy to see Russia as an enemy.

Well what is the US prepared to do about the issue besides having it's citizens bitching and arguing about the issue on the Internet? Oh wait...did I hear you say "nothing"? When you take a closer look you'll see that US and Russia are in a kind of loose union that allows both to mess with the nations and groups of people they wish just as long as they leave each other alone. It's how it's been for a long time.

Well, I think the stereotypical view of Russia is becoming dangerously accurate.

The Dude has as many NUKES as we do, so we cant just walk in and slap him.

Of course these are 'tiney' countrys which are insignifigant.

Clearly, you missed the whole point of my arguement, Herring. When you take a closer look at my initial post, you'll see I was not talking about a US response or a response from the general citizenry of the US.


Yeah, well, so was Germany in 1933. :)

What I think we should do is resign from Nato and the UN and let you Europeans deal with the bear on your own. After all you do share a continent with them and they are it's dominant power. Seems reasonable to me that they should rule you.

Call it the Monrovitch doctrine... :yep:

In case you dident know this but that was a quote from Barock O. during his early days of the race.

Well we're already dealing with 'the bear' here in Finland, and we aren't a part of Nato so you may as well stuff that too. ;)

One of the reasons Finland needs a conscription military is because of the relatively large geographical size of Finland. It's commonly thought that Finland could defend the Southern Finland with just a professional military. It is the large expanses of Central and Northern Finland that require a larger reserve and conscripted military. As if conscription alone would produce 'super winter guerillas' to defend Lapland against an aggressor such as Russia. Kids these days don't even know how to cross-country ski.

But no Nato for Finland. :)

The stereotypical view of Russia is wrong. I lived there for a good few years.

If you believed everything the press read you'd think Russians couldn't walk out their front doors for some reason or another.

It was interesting actually how in the early 90's Russia was poortrayed as some sort of Wild East with a sense of the romantic about it (a la the wild west) a myth that I think has been perpetuated and turned into something darker.

Fine by me. After all, Russia tends to keep to itself these days. And now that you dont have to worry about our Europeans, may I suggest going to Africa? There's few dictators there that could use a shot in the head. No? Ow wait, now I got the whole "Freedom comes with a price" thing! If the country has nothing of use to America it cant have a share of the freedom and democracy you so eagerly are spreading to the world? :p

Just took a closer view to a head line of this topic Neal as you have called this topic in such way, can you tell us in what part those two were critisising Putin's administration?

"Yeah, well, The Dude abides."


all he wants is his rug back.


http://planetross.files.wordpress.co...f_bridges1.jpg

The Russians do it out in the open, the CIA do it in secrecy.:hmm:

No, we really don't. And we don't have the money either. We're over $10 trillion in debt to Japan and China, and to top it off, our military is dwarfed by the size of Russia's and nothing compared to Korea's fanaticism. Besides that, our economy is still unstable, we haven't even begun pulling troops out of Iraq, and we have just gotten a new president. We've got enough to worry about at the moment. How do you expect to be the world's policeman if you don't solve your own problems first?