Speaking of Cold War, I just read something that made me really sad. An article about how a Russian naval ship shadowed a military exercise on the Baltic Sea "Such behaviour from Russia has not been seen since the Cold war" wrote the paper. The ship stayed on international waters, but was relatively close to an island in the Baltic Sea which is Swedish. Whatever. It's totally understandable that Russia uses this sea, since it's got coast line against it. It belongs to everybody with a coast there.

But what was so disturbing was that the exercise was a NATO exercise that Sweden was "hosting". WTF?! Sweden is not in NATO and neither is any of the countries facing that part of the Baltic Sea. It was always a source of pride, how peace was maintained on that Sea WITHOUT foreign involvement. Although things were tense, there was no fighting there during the War, and ferries continued to run across the East-West divide, in the Cold War. This Sea unites people and it's a sea of peaceful relations where everybody had previous good connections with eachother.

I am totally disgusted that there was a NATO exercise there. Who wanted that? Why would that be needed when there are no NATO member states nearby! It's only done to annoy Russia for goodness sake, and what is the point!?

I can't think of a single person I know, including career military people who would like tensions back the way it was during the Cold War. I am certainly not blaming the Russian ship for wanting to check out what was going on.

NATO has no business there and it is certainly not needed. Sweden, Russia, Finland, Baltic States or anyone else with a coast can do naval exercises. But no NATO, no thanks! I grew up on the shores of this sea and the thought of tensions coming back is really sad and disturbing. Yankees go home!