Russia Redux

Attacking Russia is no longer flavour of the month - it never was wise, as Georgia's regime discovered - but the silly pronouncements of David Miliband, our Foreign Secretary (you remember David Miliband, of course you do) that improving relations with Russia must be put on hold both for the European Union and for the United Kingdom after the vigorous exchange of views between Russia and Georgia, seem to have fallen on stony ground.

Lord Mandelson is in Moscow on an official New Labour regime visit 'aimed at improving trading relations between Russia and the UK.' (BBC). He may find the Germans very much at home, providing technical know-how, machine tools, organisational structures and general manufacturing input for all those lovely raw materials and large markets. Still, the United Kingdom isn't in a position to offer any of that so perhaps he intends to provide something else - how to win friends and influence people?

And high-ranking US military and their Russian counterparts were in Finland a few days ago, having discussions on matters of mutual interest.