What's next?, next war Romanians could be part of

We also have a SP with Italy and starting this year with Spain. Also I believe New Europe is now an obstacle in the path of improved US/German/French ties with Russia; and I doubt we are the most important allies of US in NATO.

maybe. But do we really think Russia is in expansionist mode? I think they are mostly reacting, in traditional Russian mode, rather than engaged in some neoimperialism.

It seems to me they have enough problems what with their demographic crisis, endemic alcoholism, soaring heroin addiction, monoeconomy, pissed off "ethnic" areas, hostile former republics, underployment....the list goes on.

One hopeful sign: the nuke agreement just signed by U.S and Russia.

Very true what you said, but Russians do not think like us. They want revenge, and they do not see their own problems, they just act, like they did in all their history. The truth is they will lose, but they must try, it is their last chance. To be a powerfull nation or to be nothing.

They could be a prosper democratic nation, equal with others, if they just accept this. But no, they must be Superpower, equal with the americans and NATO.

How can you be so sure what Russians think? Do you personally know each and everyone of the 140 million of them?

When we say russians, of course we mean their leadership, rhe guys that we see on tv... I bet the "average Ivan" doesn't have this kind of ambition, except the old nostalgics. The normal poeple thinks mostly about how to pay the next mortgage, and when he could have the money to buy himself that nice Renault Logan or Lada Samara, whitout options.

So, you don't think there's such a thing as popular opinion? Polling is now a science, and majority/minority beliefs, while changeable as the wind, can be determined with some precision in most places.

Historically, the Russian "people" have had very strong sentiments on their government's actions/policies, for better and worse. (cf: revolutions and wars, Europe).

cheers.

I actually had the chance to meet a few Russians across the years. They are not all that stereotypical. Funny thing is that all of them said that to them, I did not come across as what they expected the stereotypical Romanian to be.

You don't want to know what they thought about the "stereotypical Romanian".

Radu

Contras, I disagree ...with the following statement:
Not all of them -probably the most hateful towards us are most likely those from Transnistria, Moldova and Ukraine -others maybe not! Even if I wasn't travelling in Russia itself -I met and talked with Russians, especially the middle class as tourists in Europe -and many of them, perhaps for courtesy reasons, did not have bad opinions about the Romanians, on the contrary, they know us even better than normal Westerners (French, British, Germans, Danish ...). Of course they say nothing about Bessarabia and always avoided that subject with enough elegance I say... Remember, I spoke always with cultured people, middle class, so I can't say about others...

Not only their leadership, but their "intelighentsia", too. Lokk at all the writtings, novels, of all the Russian authors, philosophers, from XIX siecle until today. Classics or contemoranists, all their writtings are full of "mesianic nationalism" about Russian people.

There is nothing wrong with that. You may be describing the literature of any nation, including Romania.
It is a fertile ground and a hungry market, the perfect combination.

The Russian culture is rich and extremely beautiful, if you go beyond the "popular" stuff. Just like Romanian culture is superb if you manage (or obother) to go past "manele" and "Traznitii in Nato".

Radu

Again, about Moldova:

http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-international-...a-sovietica.htm

Maybe he is afraid of flying there.

He came in Romania. By car.

Not a joke, but Moldovan president had all the reasons to be careful. His brother, a great patriot and a fanatic unionist, Gheorghe Ghimpu, was killed in 2000 in one car accident, in misterious conditions.
http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gheorghe_Ghimpu