Politics is a sublime culture of the way the people control property, bodily and collectively. What ultimately counts in politics is the capability to meet the future. Stalin dramatically failed and sunk the cash of WW II. Solzhenitsyn was right irrespective of his relation to Stalin, because being not symmetrical opponent, but opponent having the inner content.

Certainly good to see open and free debate on this issue. But also great to see the continual reporting of the definitive statements from Putin and Medvedev that Stalin's gains are not justified on the basis of the human suffering they caused. There was no excuse for Stalin, like there were no excuses for the Native American genocide, the Slavery trade, the horrendous British industrialization, the British genocide in India or indeed the slavery building the Pyramids.... on the bases of their consequential achievements. What is also essential is that people move on with respect to Stalin, an accurate historical picture indeed needs to be built up, because the picture outside Russia at the moment is dominated by western propagandists, who see Stalin as some sort of weapon of choice. The numbers are becoming more sane and the youth, providing they take on the central message that tyranny is unacceptable, are showing they are moving on to new pastures, getting on with living and their lives... There is no need to sit around the camp fire chanting Stalin, Stalin Stalin, or to be eaten alive by the wrongs that took place. What there is a need for, is to take the central message that tyranny is unacceptable, enshrine that in correct historical facts and education and then move on. What is important now, is live in the present and not be held hostage to the past. People need to live their lives as people in this world, with good relationships within and between nations. There are those with a vested interest to cause division, but all ordinary people want, is to be left alone and get on with their lives in a global community with national pride. Hatred is a harness that will lead you quickly to death, friendship is a hand that will lead you out of any trouble.

Stalin indeed replaced history with myths. But it is not Stalin who projects and enforces those myths today. The present-day Russian leadership continues to do his bidding for him, more than half a century after his death. Ask Putin if there ever was a Soviet occupation of the Baltics, and he will tell you no, the Baltics freely and legally joined Stalin’s Soviet Union, and that the Red Army brought liberty, not occupation, oppression and terror to the Baltics. Just like Stalin said. Ask Medvedev if any contrary view is allowed in Russia and he will tell you no. Almost 60 year after his death, Stalin’s views are still relayed by contemporary Russia and continue to handicap Russia’s relations with its neighbors, with Europe and with the world.

Putin does have an eye for detail and a good grasp of the facts, Medvedev also. Interesting how Nations sign their sovereignty away joining the EU, signing the Lisbon treaty. Some simply have a history of joining Unions to try to get a better deal. Wait for the whinge in 30 years, that they were forced into it, that financial pressure was used, that they were a tiny little violin playing nation, and the big bad EU took all their culture away, destroyed their language, their industries ....... But they didn't join freely of course! I wonder, are any contracts valid in Iraq now, after those Estonians have done their work, invading, tortuing and raping the Iraqi population as part of the coalition of the killing.

CountCash, do you actually have any evidence of Estonians “invading, torturing and raping the Iraqi population”, or are you just making a heroic noise for the sake of it?

When your part of the team, aiding and abetting, then you take collective joint responsibility. Estonia was part of the coalition of the killing in Iraq, it is a fact! Estonia as such is a war criminal, just like the rest!

For your information, CountCash, Estonia did not take any part in invading Iraq. Subsequent to the chaos that the invasion caused, some Estonian military personnel have been deployed in Iraq, de-mining areas frequented by civilians, protecting civilians from attacks, and helping to train Iraqi defense forces. I suppose you would prefer Iraqi civilians to continue being blown up by mines, and to be defenseless before those attack them almost daily? Oh and by the way, did you say that you have no evidence at all of Estonians “invading, torturing and raping the Iraqi population?” Good -- that's what I thought you said.

Oh yes! and of course the illegal invasion continues along with the torture and the rape, all wth the Estonians as part of the coalition of the killing team - QED as they say. But the Estonians have a habit of joining 'teams' commiting invasion and attrocities, then trying to wriggle out with a well made fantasy of saving the world. WWII and the Nazis comes to mind! See history does repeat itself!

So as CountCash did not reply to my question of whether he prefers to see Iraqis blown up by mines and slaughtered by Islamic insurgents or whether he prefers to see Estonians, amongst others, risk and lose their lives in providing protection, I can only assume that he prefers the first option. Hardly a noble position to take. Also, as CountCash has still been unable to provide even the least scrap of evidence of Estonians “invading, torturing and raping the Iraqi population,” I conclude he has no such evidence. Which is not a big surprise, because Estonians have done no such thing. Yet will that stop him from continuing to make extreme anti-Estonian accusations? I doubt it. Dogma is almost always immune to facts.

The Estonian involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq has to be seen in a larger context than just one's misguidedness. Americans came knocking on Estonia's door with a proposition that they could not refuse: "you are either with us or against us". So the Estonians had no choice but to send the minimum amount of troops to support Bush's occupations. The Estonian troops in Afghanistan and Iraq are the most professional and decent troops in the Coalition. I have heard of no incident where Estonian troops have misbehaved, and there certainly has been no indication that they participated in any brutalities against the local people. The memories of harsh Soviet and German occupation of their land is still too fresh in the minds of the Estonian troops for them to visit any brutality upon the local people suffering under American occupation. If I were an Afghan insurgent I would want to be captured by Estonian troops instead of Americans or Brits.