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Join me in seeing Latvia — and Russian threats against it — as real |
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To most Americans, my native country and even NATO are abstractions, but there are real life-or-death considerations.
Published 7/12/2018
By John Freivalds
Minneapolis Star Tribune
To most Minnesotans, Latvia, along with Lithuania and Estonia, are geographic abstractions. The three Baltic States will be a testing ground to see if the U.S. honors its commitments to NATO. I have no doubt that Russian President Vladimir Putin — with whom President Donald Trump is to meet next week for a summit in Finland — will at some point provoke some sort of incident to justify intervention. Latvia and Estonia have a large percentage of Russian migrant workers who were brought in by Josef Stalin to staff now-defunct Soviet enterprises. They have to learn the local language to become citizens, yet Russia doesn’t want them back. They are an irritation to us Latvians and an opportunity to Putin.
I will be the honorary consul for Latvia in Minnesota, and it’s my job to make Latvia real. I just got back from there, a country where most people regard Trump as a puppet for Putin. Trump joins a long line of U.S. politicians who think that Putin can be changed. We have a saying in Latvian: “Times change, but character stays the same.”
I came to the U.S. as a refugee after World War II when the Soviets invaded the Baltics. All of our neighbors in Latvia were sent to Siberia, and our farmstead was burned down. Our family chose to flee — a no-brainer; my father was a journalist and he wore glasses. (Stalin sent people who wore glasses to the gulag, for it meant that they could read and that they therefore were a danger.) My father later became the chief of the Latvian Service of the Voice of America and used an alias so that relatives back home would not be sent to Siberia or shot.
Minnesota is 3½ times the size of Latvia, which sits at 56 degrees north latitude or on a line 500 miles north of the Twin Cities. The country produces tall basketball players (Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks, Davis Bertans of the San Antonio Spurs, Gundars Vetra of the early Timberwolves). It has short growing seasons; it’s too cold to grow corn. It cherishes its traditions, such as a song festival that had a “choir” of 43,000 singers and an irresistible pastry — a bacon bun called a piragi.
The country has served as a refuge for Russian people and businesses wishing to flee Putin. That famous Russian vodka, Stolichnaya, is now made in Latvia because the owners did not want to be owned by Putin’s cronies.
Here in Minnesota, St. Louis Park is home to a vibrant community of Russian Jews who left because of Russian anti-Semitism. Ordinary Russians are jealous of Latvia’s economic success and denigrate its language by calling it “Sobacij Yazik” — barking.
What Americans do not understand is that Russia is a Third World country with nuclear weapons. Latvia has ice-free ports on the Baltic Sea, which has always made it a target for Russian expansionism. Putin brags that he could take over the Baltic states in a week, and thus they rely on NATO to thwart the Russian bear. Ironically, the U.S. politician who was most responsible for getting the Baltics into NATO was the avuncular Jesse Helms of North Carolina.
Although the U.S. Senate passed a resolution (97-2) supporting NATO, it remains to be seen if Trump is willing to send boys from Mississippi to fight off Putin in the Baltics. It seems more urgent to fight in Afghanistan, where NATO troops, including Latvians, are battling and dying to defeat the Taliban. Latvia, by the way, is the start of a supply pipeline to our soldiers in Asia.
Putin uses Latvia as a whipping boy against hallowed “Mother Russia” (Russia is 140 times larger). The problem is that Latvia has lost many generations to this fallacious argument, which is why we try so hard to get our message out.
John Freivalds lives in Wayzata. He has been nominated to be honorary consul for Latvia in Minnesota.
Here is what the people are saying!!
yohaahoo Jul. 13, 18
3:29 PM
The USA will never go to war with Russia over Latvia. NATO Article 5 guarantees nothing except talking about options.
There would be sanctions cutting off trade from a good chunk of the world but no cavalry riding to the rescue.
Abumazzen Jul. 13, 18
12:30 PM
I wish Mr. Freivalds was reporting more facts about Latvia. Including how the Latvians assisted the Nazis with rounding up and murdering their Jewish neighbors. In addition many Latvians who fled after WWII were collaborators with the Germans and the Russians wanted them to have consequences for their behavior. Even today Latvia allows WWII veterans of the Waffen SS to parade in Riga on an annual basis. Because of this shame every year on July 4th every bldg in Latvia has a Latvian flag hung on it along with a black sash commemorating the horrors that they committed against their Jewish neighbors.
In addition once Latvia joined the EU many people left the country and moved to western Europe to have a better life based on economics.
The Russians who stayed behind were denied citizenship. Even their children who were born in Latvia were denied citizenship until recently when they must pass a language test along with a citizen test. Therefore, some people who live in Latvia are citizens of no country. While Lithuania granted Russians who stayed citizenship with all of their rights.
The sanctions against Russia for invading Crimea is hurting Latvia's economy because the are not allowed to export Russian oil, and coal.
I hope this brings more clarity to his commentary.
mipo777 Jul. 13, 18
11:10 AM
I had the good fortune to visit Riga, Latvia for their 800th birthday around the year 2000. It was a beautiful city that was really starting to come into its own after shedding the shackles of the Soviet Union only a few dozen years before. Last year I got the opportunity to spend some time in Tallin, Estonia another historic and beautiful city where the country has embraced technology and has transformed their economy because of these. These small Baltic Counties are important and we need to stand with them, to prevent bullies from ruining their democratic ways of life. I'm praying for continued peace.
polsen Jul. 13, 18
10:50 AM
Even the few U.S. troops rotating through the Baltics are a huge deterrent to Russia. Attacking a country in which U.S. troops are stationed is not a can of worms Putin wants to open. Despite Putin's bluster, Russia is outclassed by the U.S. and NATO (probably way too much of our tax money has guaranteed that). Russia tried sending proxies against us in Syria (Russian mercenaries) and they were obliterated. They're simply not yet as sophisticated at conducting warfare.
Putin will continue to violate airspace and territorial waters to try and stoke fear among the eastern members of NATO. People give Putin too much credit for being a master manipulator, but he has no productive endgame for his country. His only endgame is to continue amassing wealth and divert attention away from his domestic corruption by creating foreign boogeymen like the U.S. and NATO.
gene428 Jul. 13, 18
10:35 AM
I think it scary how trump is/has destroyed all our good relationships with democratic countries while embracing the brutal autocrats.
He complains about Germany being under the control of Russia when we all know it is trump and many repubs who are under Russia's control.
My my my...who would have thought this repub party would play such a treasonist role?
Here I'm I Jul. 13, 18
10:33 AM
Bear chested Putin has a plan for which country he wants to invade next and call his own. They have been doing that same thing for hundreds of years.
randjrj Jul. 13, 18
9:07 AM
Old Vlad has designs on the Baltic states and it’s been clear for many years. They are terrified of the Russians in Latvia after what Stalin and the Soviets did for theee generations to them. Let’s hope NATO stands firm. Unfortunate that Putin is playing chess while we are playing checkers.
gene428 Jul. 13, 18
10:36 AM
@randjrj Naw...trump doesn't even know how to play checkers...maybe tic tac tow...which he constantly loses.
the lone stranger Jul. 13, 18
8:41 AM
I am sorry to hear that Latvians have fallen for the MSM disinformation campaign. The idea that Trump is Putin's stooge laughably inconsistent with the facts on the ground. Trump opposes the pipeline to Germany, because building it strengthens Putin. Trump is insisting that European nations increase defense spending, because he wants them capable of defending themselves against Putin.
The fact is, Trump is probably the best President for Latvia's interests since Reagan.
Remember, it was Obama who sold out Poland to Russian demands. Trump has not given Russia a single inch.
gcriley1050 Jul. 13, 18
9:13 AM
@the lone stranger Putin has said he wants to restore the Soviet Union. Crimea ring bell?
dqchoose Jul. 13, 18
8:37 AM
NATO would be finished if they did nothing to help these countries.
cas002 Jul. 13, 18
8:29 AM
Absolutely. Russia is the threat to all of NATO and other countries like Ukraine and Georgia.
Turns out, Trump is also a threat
eddie55431 Jul. 13, 18
8:37 AM
@cas002 How is Trump the threat? By insisting that the other NATO countries, which have been ignoring their own miltaries become stronger?
mspshadow Jul. 13, 18
1:25 PM
@eddie55431 By supporting Putin and his interests.
the lone stranger Jul. 13, 18
2:08 PM
@mspshadow @eddie55431 Trump is not supporting Putin or his interests. On the contrary, Trump has ratcheted up sanctions.
Do you want Trump to invade Russia or what?
cel504 Jul. 13, 18
8:19 AM
Trump certainly seems to be trying to weaken NATO, just as It certainly seems useless to continue for our troops (and yours) the never ending war in Afghanistan.
eddie55431 Jul. 13, 18
8:36 AM
@cel504 Trump is trying to weaken NATO.....by insisting that the other nations of NATO become stronger?
the lone stranger Jul. 13, 18
8:42 AM
@cel504 on the contrary, Trump's insistence that NATO countries live up to their promises to increase defense spending strengthens NATO. The USA can't pull that cart all by itself.
karendavid816 Jul. 13, 18
6:12 AM
The US is hardly ignoring the Russian threat in the Baltic. Last week the annual Saber Strike exercises started involving more than 5,000 US troops in war games with Baltic nations. Military equipment aid has also increased.
watcherman Jul. 13, 18
12:23 AM
The UK sold out Poland in the end not to Hitler but the other invader Stalin. Stalin and Hitler invaded Poland together in 1939. It is hard to believe troops would be sent to fight Russia. It is only the threat of nuclear war that keeps Russia at bay.
One can see the weak response to Ukraine by Europe. . .
hayduke Jul. 12, 18
9:03 PM
Yesterday Russia was the enemy when speaking to Germany. Today Russia is not an enemy but a competitor.
Putin’s (and Trump’s) logic is simple: If the people in a place speak mostly Russian, and if it once belonged to Russia at some point, then Moscow has every right to come in and take it over again.
Joeymax Jul. 13, 18
9:29 AM
@hayduke Congratulations, Duke. Yours is the first leftist comment on this story to take an unprovoked shot at our President, Donald J. Trump. It only took you 2 hours and 47 minutes after the story was uploaded.
And in true leftist-pacifist anti-Trump tradition, you added nothing to the debate.
czelgert Jul. 12, 18
8:29 PM
I feel for Latvia. They have a large Russian minority and occupy an important piece of property on the Russian border. The tough question is would you be willing to send Minnesota boys off to die for Latvia (a NATO member) if it were invaded like the Crimea. It is easy to say yes in theory, but harder to do with real lives in the balance.
msimsi Jul. 13, 18
8:15 AM
@czelgert I guess the question becomes which NATO member would one send troops to defend? Poland? Romania? Turkey? Norway? Germany? the UK?
nophelia Jul. 12, 18
7:11 PM
You and your little country had better get real. It would take a reinstitution of the draft in the U.S. to kick the Russians out of Latvia. That's not going to happen (the last time we had a draft 50-100 thousand went to Canada and Sweden, another 100-200 thousand avoided the draft inside the U.S. and all of those people were pardoned by Jimmy Carter). And if you think the UK and Germany are going to put tens of thousands of boots on the ground in Latvia, please think again. Make nice to the Russians, let them call you names, but you're going to be sorely disappointed if you think the NATO cavalry is going to come over the hill to rescue you.