Kalingrad, the small, Russian
territory located in between Poland and Lithuania has faced increased
difficulties recently. Kalingrad has for long made good profit out of shopping tourists
from around Europe, who have found products cheap here. However, since Russia
has taken a more aggressive stance in the world politics again, Kalingrad has suffered from sanctions that the World Bank and
Western countries have aimed towards them. These worsened economic
circumstances have critically hit businesses in Kalingrad, who are worried about their future outlook.
Moreover, Kalingrad is a geopolitically
strategic spot for Russia, and it has now been victim for increased
militarization. This move from Russia has raised the discussion whether Russia’s
next military target are the Baltic countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Since Putin
has acted irrational earlier, and hardly communicates clearly, it is hard to
predict his next move. Specualtions hence are filled with great nervousness. What would NATO do if Russia attacked the Baltic countries? Would
NATO assist or would it let Russia expand its power? These cold war
speculations may at best be nothing more than a sudden muscle flex from Russia,
and at its worst, the beginning of a real conflict between Russia and the US.
Victor Krueeger
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/17/world/europe/russias-separate-piece-sets-off-alarms-about-a-cold-war-revival.html?ref=world&_r=0
No comments:
Post a Comment