Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Of presidents and the fight for freedom.
Today the White House said that US president Bush is coming to Denmark in July:
To make it even better, the day Bush visits Denmark is his 59 birthday. I have a wee feeling a few people are going to show up and greet him on his birthday, and that I am going to be one of them.
Anyway: the visit is in response to an invitation that Danish prime minister extended already in 2002. Since then, Denmark has had special forces and F16s helping to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan, troops to help demine the country, and currently we have 530 soldiers in Iraq. The contribution to the actual invasion was rather pathetic, though: we sent a friggin submarine to a desert war!
On top of the military contributions, prime minister Fogh has also provided steadfast diplomatic support for the US for the last 4 years. For the celebrations of the end of WWII, Fogh acted as pitcher to Bush´s batting in the game about making Russia apologise to the Baltic countries for 50 years of occupation (interrupted by 3 years of nazi rule). Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had been demanding such an apology for years, but given that they dont exactly have much diplomatic weight to throw around, their demands didnt get anywhere.
The US has been accused so much of acting unilaterally that she couldnt do much in the matter without negating any benefit by appearing to intrude in other people´s affairs. The remedy to that problem was to have another country bring up the topic early enough for it to develop to a degree where Bush could put the demand for an apology before Putin. Denmark was perfectly suited for that role ever since its trailblazing in recognizing the independence of the Baltic countries in 1991, and thus the plan worket out: The Baltic countries delivered the ball, Denmark pitched, and Bush acted as hitter. Infortunately, Putin refused to take the bait, but at least the matter was brought to a wider audience.
It is such small acts that Bush repays now.
Henrik
Update: In case you wonder the Baltic obsession with getting an apology, btw, consider that on average one in ten Balts died or were deported to Siberia under Soviet occupation. The Balts didnt particularly like that, and responded with a widepread guerilla-movement - the last Estonian partisan drowned rather than surrender in 1978.
As the story goes, the guy had been hiding out in the forests for years. The KGB finally got wind of where he might be, but rather than sending in the troops and make enough noise to scare him into hiding, they took the smart way out: they sent in two men in civil clothing. After wandering the woods for a couple of days, they happened upon him as he was peacefully sitting by a stream, fishing to have something to eat. After convincing him they were genuine patriotic Estonians, he was delighted to finally have someone to talk to again, and let them come closer.
That is the time when they jumped and cuffed him. As they triumphed, he managed to tear loose, run, and dive into the stream he had just been fishing in. He dived deep down into the stream, stuck himself under a submerged tree, and drowned rather than surrender. That was in 1978, 34 years after the return of the Soviets.
His name was August Saabe.
Respect.
Update 2:
You can find a picture of August Saabe here, thanks to Uriasposten.´
Henrik
President Bush will travel to Denmark prior to his participation in the Group of Eight (G-8) Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland in the United Kingdom. The President's bilateral program in Denmark will take place on July 6, 2005. Denmark is a close friend and ally of the United States, and Prime Minister Rasmussen is a strong proponent of effective transatlantic cooperation.
President Bush's visit, his fourth to Europe since his second inauguration, underscores the President's commitment to working with our European partners to advance freedom and prosperity in the world.
To make it even better, the day Bush visits Denmark is his 59 birthday. I have a wee feeling a few people are going to show up and greet him on his birthday, and that I am going to be one of them.
Anyway: the visit is in response to an invitation that Danish prime minister extended already in 2002. Since then, Denmark has had special forces and F16s helping to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan, troops to help demine the country, and currently we have 530 soldiers in Iraq. The contribution to the actual invasion was rather pathetic, though: we sent a friggin submarine to a desert war!
On top of the military contributions, prime minister Fogh has also provided steadfast diplomatic support for the US for the last 4 years. For the celebrations of the end of WWII, Fogh acted as pitcher to Bush´s batting in the game about making Russia apologise to the Baltic countries for 50 years of occupation (interrupted by 3 years of nazi rule). Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had been demanding such an apology for years, but given that they dont exactly have much diplomatic weight to throw around, their demands didnt get anywhere.
The US has been accused so much of acting unilaterally that she couldnt do much in the matter without negating any benefit by appearing to intrude in other people´s affairs. The remedy to that problem was to have another country bring up the topic early enough for it to develop to a degree where Bush could put the demand for an apology before Putin. Denmark was perfectly suited for that role ever since its trailblazing in recognizing the independence of the Baltic countries in 1991, and thus the plan worket out: The Baltic countries delivered the ball, Denmark pitched, and Bush acted as hitter. Infortunately, Putin refused to take the bait, but at least the matter was brought to a wider audience.
It is such small acts that Bush repays now.
Henrik
Update: In case you wonder the Baltic obsession with getting an apology, btw, consider that on average one in ten Balts died or were deported to Siberia under Soviet occupation. The Balts didnt particularly like that, and responded with a widepread guerilla-movement - the last Estonian partisan drowned rather than surrender in 1978.
As the story goes, the guy had been hiding out in the forests for years. The KGB finally got wind of where he might be, but rather than sending in the troops and make enough noise to scare him into hiding, they took the smart way out: they sent in two men in civil clothing. After wandering the woods for a couple of days, they happened upon him as he was peacefully sitting by a stream, fishing to have something to eat. After convincing him they were genuine patriotic Estonians, he was delighted to finally have someone to talk to again, and let them come closer.
That is the time when they jumped and cuffed him. As they triumphed, he managed to tear loose, run, and dive into the stream he had just been fishing in. He dived deep down into the stream, stuck himself under a submerged tree, and drowned rather than surrender. That was in 1978, 34 years after the return of the Soviets.
His name was August Saabe.
Respect.
Update 2:
You can find a picture of August Saabe here, thanks to Uriasposten.´
Henrik
# posted by Henrik @ 3:30 PM 
