Russia Relishes Bully-Boy Image

Under Tsar Vladimir, Russia is rejecting peaceful interaction with its neighbors in favour of a brutal form of bullying that Europe has almost forgotten over the past 60 plus years. A Russian government bursting with fossil fuel wealth might have taken the opportunity to bring prosperity and peace to the Russian people. Instead, Tsar Vlad rushes headlong into a new and ominous war of energy blackmail, terrorism, and threat.

Russia has not learned much in the last 20 years. Russians still believe in the use of force and intimidation. They attack Georgia, support a belligerent Iran that appears to want nuclear bombs, and plan to hold war exercises with Venezuela.

Following the collapse of communism, we had great hopes for Russia and the Russian people as the Cold War appeared to subside. A new era of peace, co-operation and collaboration was set to emerge among Russia, Europe, the United States and China.

.....Russia had the opportunity to leverage its emerging economic wealth to influence neighbours, friends and partners in the new world order. Instead, the Russian government and the Russian people immediately resorted back to military force and intimidation.

....Russia has squandered this opportunity for peace and further aggravates the situation by its planned naval exercise with Venezuela. The world will be a much better place and the Russians will be much better off when they realize that working toward peace with the United States and Europe is more productive than trying to antagonize and threaten them. _Canada

Tsar Vlad cannot help himself. The conquering neo-imperialism that drives him is in his blood, just as the cowed subservience to the whims of Tsar Vlad are in the blood of the rapidly shrinking Russian population. Given the dark and bloody pall that Tsar Vlad casts over the future of Russia, can you blame the women for refusing to have babies, or for rushing out of the country at the first opportunity? Can you blame the Russian men for succumbing to the lure of drugs and alcohol, dying in their 50s?

Unfortunately for Europe, this problem is being laid at their doorstep at the same time as they are being besieged by exploding numbers of uneducated and untrainable Muslim immigrants, draining the treasuries of the subcontinent's welfare states. And this time, Europe had better find a way to rescue itself, because North America and Oceania have more pressing matters to deal with.