US just paraded troops along Russian border apparently to send a message to the Kremlin

[davidn3600]

On Wednesday, the US Army did something that seemed, and maybe was, dangerously provocative: it paraded soldiers and armored vehicles from the Second Cavalry Regiment in the Estonian town of Narva, just 900 feet from Russia's border.

The Washington Post's Michael Birnbaum, reporting the incident, explains, "Narva is a vulnerable border city separated by a river from Russia. It has often been cited as a potential target for the Kremlin if it wanted to escalate its conflict with the West onto NATO territory."

There is a logic to this sort of demonstration, which is surely meant to show Russia that the US is sincerely committed to the defense of Estonia, which is a member of NATO. In other words, it is meant to deter Russia from starting a Ukraine-style conflict in Estonia, which could plausibly spiral into World War Three. At the same time, such a demonstration is also dangerous, as it risks being misinterpreted by Moscow as an act of aggression and thus making war more likely.

Estonia and other Baltic countries, like Ukraine, used to be part of the Soviet Union and have significant Russian or Russian-speaking minorities. Europe has feared that Vladimir Putin might attempt some version of what he did in Ukraine, stirring up pro-Russian sentiment, arming separatists, or even overtly invading. President Obama took this seriously enough to travel to Estonia in September to give a speech pledging that the US would defend the country against Russian aggression.

http://www.vox.com/2015/2/26/8109445/estonia-russia-army

[randys1]

1. I sure hope some John Wayne wannabe general isnt doing this without consulting with

the people who consult with the Prez

[GuntherGebelWilliams]

6. Tell ya the truth, I hope it is a rogue John Wayne type general acting on his own

And that the President fires his ass for playing dangerous games.

The other option is horrific to contemplate.

[randys1]

7. That's true

[davidn3600]

15. Maybe we are finally getting sick of them buzzing our airspace

A few times Russian jets have nearly caused mid-air collisions.

[newfie11]

2. This is like 2 kids daring each other on

Only this time nukes could settle the fuss.

We are wrong and this bullshit. This childish game can end up killing us all.
Russia and the Ukraine have nothing to do with us!!!!!!

[davidn3600]

9. Messing around with Estonia would concern us very much

Estonia is a NATO member.

[newfie11]

16. Has Russia gone into Estonia?

Or just America.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

19. I'm guessing the "parade" is in response to this story from September --

Estonia accuses Russia of kidnapping security official

Estonia summoned Russia's ambassador on Friday to demand an explanation regarding what it described as the abduction of a security official near its joint border.

The news came the same day Russia announced it had detained an Estonia security officer in its northwest Pskov region, where Russian officials allege he was carrying out an undercover operation, according to a report from state-run news agency Itar-Tass.

The dueling claims follow mounting tensions between the two nations. Just days earlier, U.S. President Barack Obama visited Estonia, where he promised to protect the Baltic nation against Russian aggression.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/05/world/europe/estonia-russia-abduction/index.html

[Sarcastica]

3. i like parades.

i hope it was like old school parades, with marching bands, and floats and such.

i hate the "new" parades where they dance and lip sync show tunes, and what not.....

[Warren Stupidity]

4. What a stunningly stupid thing to do.

The only explanation for this is that we actually want a full scale military confrontation with Russia.

[truebrit71]

18. It certainly doesn't bode well...

...I can't see anyway that any sane person has even contemplated trying to game this scenario out without realizing that it would be game over for Europe...

[geek tragedy]

5. It was a parade. Doesn't hurt to remind Russia that it can't afford to pay the

price of invading a NATO member.

[Warren Stupidity]

11. They won't directly invade.

They *might* pull the same shit they are pulling in the Ukraine, using proxies instead of officially invading, and that would put the ball right back in our court, and NATO is probably not going to risk a nuclear war over estonia, so unless there is an August 1914 moment of insanity NATO will blink. Or we will once again descend into the abattoir.

[geek tragedy]

12. They won't be able to move weapons and men across the border.

Nor could they fire artillery into Estonia.

Moreover, any rag-tag insurgents that did get going would face a NATO-armed, NATO-trained, and NATO-supported opponent.

NATO wouldn't risk a nuclear war, but they'd have little compunction in sending every Russian who crossed the border back with a tag on their toe.

The more that Putin gets the message that he'll face a military defeat if he tries such antics, the less likely he is to try them.

[Brickbat]

10. Lawd, it's like no one remembers the 70s and 80s.

[NuclearDem]

13. Good.

The Baltic states have dealt with enough Russian hegemonic bullshit in their time.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. If they want peace, nations should avoid the pin-pricks that precede cannon shots.

Napoleon Bonaparte

[LongTomH]

17. Someone remind me again......how close did we come to nuclear war in 1983?

And, let's not forget the Cuban missile crisis.