Kith & Kin: a recurrent issue

[jmm99]

Are the 200-300K Russian citizens pretty well spread out in Estonia, or are they in enclaves similar to the situation in Georgia ?

Also is there enough honey for the Bear to risk a destabliization in the Baltic region - and perhaps some kind of Great Northern War ?

Regards

Mike

[Stan]

Are the 200-300K Russian citizens pretty well spread out in Estonia, or are they in enclaves similar to the situation in Georgia ?

Also is there enough honey for the Bear to risk a destabliization in the Baltic region - and perhaps some kind of Great Northern War ?

Regards

Mike

Hey Mike,

Not much like Georgia in one sense. There's approx. 84,000 in Tallinn and remainder in the east. Over 80% of the population in Narva are ethnic Russians (where they continue to hope for some similar recognition by the Kremlin as an independent State).

I personally don't see a Northern War but have to wonder about destabilization efforts and interesting "assistance" in places like Moldova. Estonia doesn't seemed concerned about the financial ramifications of pissing off the bear - I hope that's an educated guess.

Regards, Stan

[davidbfpo]

On the theme by the BBC:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8358919.stm

The Chinese embassy in Angola has advised its nationals not to go out alone at night after a spate of violent attacks on Chinese expatriates.

davidbfpo

[davidbfpo]

I'd not considered this before as an issue for Small Wars, but reading this Australian article led to a moment of reflection.

Link:http://www.petermartin.com.au/2012/0...referring.html

Where do people travel to? From the SWC angle travellers turn up in the oddest of places, get into trouble and for example are kidnapped by insurgents, by a group like AQIM and can die. Secondly in crisis an evacuation is required, no longer just white faces leaving a non-white location.

There's also the unexpected political impact, as discussed or referred to here, with Canada-Haiti links for example. Some nations travel far more than others, although established patterns are changing rapidly, as the article shows with the numbers of Chinese visitors to Australia.

Opportunities exist too, in the SWC context gaining access to information gained via travel. Not just to the tourists "traps". but the minority interests such as the "Hippy Trail" through South Asia into Afghanistan in the late 1970's.

Not that 'Diggers' are unique, but for our American "cousins" you have not travelled for leisure in large numbers abroad for a long time. I exclude going to Canada and Mexico.

[Ken White]

... for our American "cousins" you have not travelled for leisure in large numbers abroad for a long time. I exclude going to Canada and Mexico.

Not since Bill Clinton bombed four sovereign nations for no particular reason. That put a big dent in US 'popularity' and people in other nations who disliked brash, loud, gauche Americans but accepted them due to politeness and the money they brought stopped being so welcoming.

Been steadily downhill since...