Final Word from Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Nato's foreign ministers agreed yesterday that it won't be "business as usual" with Russia until it pulls its troops out of Georgia. By giving Russia the silent treatment, Nato could be digging its own grave. Russia would like nothing more than for Nato to go the way of the Warsaw Pact and keep silent forever. Both Poland and the CR have nudged Nato toward oblivion by initially going it alone with the U.S. on missile defense. Poland has also questioned Nato's response effectiveness by asking the U.S. for a separate security guarantee. And in a largely overlooked article in MFD last week, Mirek Topolánek warned that the CR would voluntarily be returning to Russia's sphere of influence by rejecting the radar. Did he forgot that even without the radar the CR would remain a Nato member? Or was he signalling that already today, Nato membership isn't worth much more than the paper it's printed on?[Czech Republic North Atlantic Treaty Organization MF Dnes PM prime minister United States of America]
Glossary of difficult words
requiem - a Mass for the souls of the dead;
silent treatment - a stubborn refusal to talk to someone, esp. after a recent argument or disagreement;
to nudge - to coax or gently encourage someone to do something;
oblivion - extinction;
not to be worth the paper it is written on - to be of no value or validity despite being written down.