BLOOMBERG NEWS—“German Chancellor Angela Merkel has a portrait on her desk of Russian empress Catherine the Great, the Prussian-born princess who went on to expand Russia’s territory to the west and the south, including Crimea.
As President Vladimir Putin tests Europe’s resolve during the crisis over Ukraine, Merkel’s admiration for Catherine hints at the complex ties binding Germany and Russia together that give her sway over Putin yet constrain her response.
Merkel, who once told German television that Catherine had “accomplished many things under difficult circumstances,” has telephoned with Putin at least three times in the past week alone.
That diplomacy reflects her role as the key conduit between east and west.
“The German government wants to avoid drastic EU measures or sanctions on Russia,” Fredrik Erixon, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy in Brussels, said in an interview. “The main casualties of such moves would be German companies exporting to Russia or those in Russia.”
WB7–Damn, now ain’t dat some reaaaal politique!
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The Russian Empire circa 1801
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The United States Circa 1908
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If Russians knew how to read, they would write me off.–Catherine The Great.
WB7–Don’t worry, they most certainly know how to read.
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Bloomberg Link: Here
via Zero Hedge http://ift.tt/1g1Lf8q williambanzai7