12/18/2023 0 Comments Powder keg a blast into the wildernessTo grow Russia westwards Putin must smash the EU.īetween the Americans and the Russians they succeeded in prying the UK out of Europe in a move that will have a long term negative impacts on the average British citizen. Some of these, and many Eastern European nations that were formerly in the Soviet economic sphere, are now members of the European Union. Former Soviet Socialist Republics are all targets for Putin. The re-emergence of an expansionist Russia under Putin has ambitions to retake regions lost in the perestroika era. Their vision is to have a US led military alliance, but not an economic competitor. The day the Americans began to refer to the EU as “Fortress Europe” was the day they declared war on European cohesion. The Americans have been pushing NATO eastwards as quickly as the European Union has expanded. So, those history kids will be asked, how is it that the British pulled out of the European Experiment? Just look to Ukraine for the answer. But membership of the European Union has poured oil even on these troubled waters. With the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1991 the region suffered a decade of conflicts. The Balkans has traditionally been the powder keg of Europe, home of the “Eastern Question” which largely led to to the outbreak of the first World War. As the European Union expanded so did cohesion and co-operation. After fifty years of carnage in the 20th century the continent settled into an era of peace. In 50 years schoolkids studying history will learn of the halcyon days of Europe. Like the Americans in Vietnam and the British in Northern Ireland it becomes impossible to maintain such a conflict once you lose the support of the people. Putin may think he can control the message spin but eventually the truth leaks out. Frightened and inexperienced young soldiers commit war crimes. They become a series of ambushes, massacres and reprisals. Russians will find an enemy behind every lamppost. The Ukrainian forces can not stand toe to toe with the Russians so they will revert to guerilla tactics. Putin’s war machine is grinding inevitably forward and this invasion is going to become dirtier and more sordid as it progresses. Resilience is also on display in Ukraine. A massive comeback and display of resilience. They finished 29 – 24 and rescued a losing bonus point. A young and largely untested Munster missing it’s Irish Internationals, playing in Pretoria at altitude and in the heat clawed their way back into the game in the second half. Munster, who were losing away to the Bulls at half time by 26 – 3 were staring disaster in the face. Liverpool won away at Brighton, the Ireland U-20s kept their Grand Slam on track and the senior squad registered a rare away win at Rugby HQ defeating the 14 man England team by 15 – 32. On the sporting field it was a good weekend, the kind of weekend we remember fondly when we look backwards to “halcyon days”.
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