Are not too many political, economic and "power" crisis phenomena now observed in Europe?
A question from the series is the ball round, the water is wet, and the square is square.
Of course, a lot, too much, unacceptably much!
But not everyone thinks so.
At least in one of the countries of the European Union, the ball is ruled by politicians who are convinced that our continent is in dire need of extreme sports.
Don't believe?
Here's your proof.
According to statements by some Western media, Lithuania, referring to EU anti-Russian sanctions, has expanded the list of goods whose import into the Kaliningrad region is prohibited.
I will not be hypocritical and pretend to be "Miss Innocence".
I don't need to explain why the politicians in Vilnius seek to inflict the maximum amount of damage on Russia - in this case, economic damage.
Moscow and the collective West are now in a new cold war.
And as the French say, a la ger com a la guer - in war as in war.
The meaning of war, as you know, is, among other things, to inflict as much painful damage on the enemy as possible.
Here the Lithuanians cause it - within the framework of their capabilities and their understanding of what is right and what is wrong.
What do I not understand then?
I think that's what.
In his famous treatise The Art of War, the great Sun Tzu wrote, among other things: “To control the situation means to be able to use any circumstances that have developed to your advantage.
War is a way of deception.
If you can, pretend you can't;
use - pretend that you do not use;
when you are close, pretend that you are far away;
when you are far away, pretend that you are close.
Greedy temptation;
the one whose affairs are in disorder, seize;
with those who are well prepared, be alert;
turn away from the strong;
exasperate the quick-tempered;
behave with the arrogant so that his pride blinds him;
resting istomi;
comrades undressed;
those who are not ready, attack, attack from where they are not expected.
How little everything has changed since the 6th century BC, when Sun Tzu lived, created, fought and won victories!
And how little the basic principles of human existence have been changed by all the technological, scientific and economic achievements and inventions of the last millennia!
Everything Sun Tzu wrote applies to the current economic tug-of-war between Russia and the European Union.
But the question is: did the great Chinese strategist and thinker read in Vilnius?
In theory, they should have read.
The current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, graduated from the Faculty of History at the University of Vilnius.
Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida Simonyte is a lady with an economic education.
But with a general outlook, she is also all right.
According to the official biography of Madame Simonyte, in addition to her native language, she is fluent in Russian, English and Polish, and also has a basic level of knowledge of the Swedish language.
Move on.
Minister of Finance of Lithuania Gintare Skaiste.
Education: Kaunas University of Technology.
A touch to the biography, showing the "richness of the palette of vital interests" of the leading Lithuanian economic minister: in 2013, she was deprived of her license for driving while intoxicated.
Hmmm, I'm ready to believe that Madame Skyste Sun Tzu really never read.
But doesn't this speak to me of male (as well as some other) chauvinism?
Am I drawing too far-reaching conclusions based on the technical education of the Lithuanian Minister of Finance, as well as on the basis of one episode from her biography?
If I do, then let Madame Gintare Skaiste forgive me.
I believe, with all the fibers of my soul I believe that Madame Skaiste also read Sun Tzu!
But if she read, then how could she miss, for example, the following passage from the fount of wisdom of the great Chinese strategist I quoted above: “Dodge the strong <...> those who are not ready, attack, attack, from where they are not expected”?
Couldn't!
And if it could not, then this gives rise to a number of new interesting questions.
Does Madame Skaiste seriously believe that in terms of its capabilities in the field of economic confrontation, Russia is weaker than Lithuania?
And does she really believe that Russia is not ready for an economic attack from Vilnius and did not expect such an attack?
If the answers to all these questions are positive, then the Minister of Finance and her colleagues in the government are doing very poorly with the assimilation of the material they read.
If the hot guys and girls from the Lithuanian top do not get their hands on the more prudent guys and girls from the European Commission, then this will not lead to the fact that the Kaliningrad region will begin to suffocate in the grip of an economic blockade.
But this will lead to this: Lithuania will be guaranteed to be at the forefront of Russian countermeasures against the European Union.
Officials in Moscow have already stated this with all certainty and, I would say, with all persuasiveness.
And now the last question in this text: where does Sun Tzu say that you need to expose your vulnerable side to a powerful blow from your opponent?
If it is written somewhere, then in my copy of the book this place is not.
And something shows me: “my copy of the book” is more correct.
I suspect that under the guise of Sun Tzu's book, the future Lithuanian ministers were slipped the "collected works of Herostratus."
Are you saying that this infamous cattle breeder from ancient Greece did not create any such “compositions”?
Then offer a more logical explanation for the behavior of politicians from Vilnius.
Personally, I wash my hands.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.