Zhirinovsky's comments that Russia and Germany should share a common border sent shivers down Polish spines. The recent expulsion of the Russian military attache from Warsaw for stealing Polish secrets has not helped matters. "The Americans would like to tame the bear, but they keep forgetting that they can't do that while it's in the forest. You have to do it in a cage," Walesa said. "This may sound vicious, but you cannot civilize the bear unless you know where he stands." Walesa contended that the West, in its attempt to be prudent, is falling into the hands of Russian politicians who are playing the "Zhirinovsky card" to sideline NATO expansion and thus reestablish Russian leverage in Eastern Europe. "What are Russia's aims? It hasn't changed its concepts. It didn't change in a difficult situation, and it won't change those concepts when the situation improves. That's why my conclusions are opposite," he said. "Besides, we are a small bite for Russia. We are just on the way to a tastier bite. We are not in danger. The West is. If the West allows small things like this today, it will allow bigger things tomorrow." <…> Throughout the hour-long interview, Walesa repeatedly returned to two dates in Polish history -- 1939, when Nazi forces launched their blitzkrieg invasion, and 1945, when allied forces at the Yalta conference agreed to give Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin sway over Eastern Europe. "I won't be satisfied if 50 years from now they say I was right," he said. "We kept crying and shouting in 1939, but they only believed us when the war reached Paris and London. The situation is very similar today." https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/01/04/walesa-warns-communism-may-reemerge/7d6575a5-c5c4-4b9d-a38a-7872c2a2cd57/
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Date: 2024-02-14 11:25 am (UTC)Zhirinovsky's comments that Russia and Germany should share a common border sent shivers down Polish spines. The recent expulsion of the Russian military attache from Warsaw for stealing Polish secrets has not helped matters.
"The Americans would like to tame the bear, but they keep forgetting that they can't do that while it's in the forest. You have to do it in a cage," Walesa said. "This may sound vicious, but you cannot civilize the bear unless you know where he stands."
Walesa contended that the West, in its attempt to be prudent, is falling into the hands of Russian politicians who are playing the "Zhirinovsky card" to sideline NATO expansion and thus reestablish Russian leverage in Eastern Europe.
"What are Russia's aims? It hasn't changed its concepts. It didn't change in a difficult situation, and it won't change those concepts when the situation improves. That's why my conclusions are opposite," he said. "Besides, we are a small bite for Russia. We are just on the way to a tastier bite. We are not in danger. The West is. If the West allows small things like this today, it will allow bigger things tomorrow." <…>
Throughout the hour-long interview, Walesa repeatedly returned to two dates in Polish history -- 1939, when Nazi forces launched their blitzkrieg invasion, and 1945, when allied forces at the Yalta conference agreed to give Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin sway over Eastern Europe.
"I won't be satisfied if 50 years from now they say I was right," he said. "We kept crying and shouting in 1939, but they only believed us when the war reached Paris and London. The situation is very similar today."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/01/04/walesa-warns-communism-may-reemerge/7d6575a5-c5c4-4b9d-a38a-7872c2a2cd57/
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Date: 2024-02-15 04:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-02-16 11:11 am (UTC)