A cold day in hell?

Here we see the 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry Reg. of the United States Army marching in Red Square to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe.

When I think of all the years I spent growing up under the threat of a NATO/Warsaw Pact conflict in Europe, I can't help but be amazed at this picture. This is, truly, either the most graphic example of just how "over" the Cold War really is... or it is the most graphic example of how far our modern, post-Soviet alliances have moved towards a "peace in our time" position of compliance and appeasement.

The US, UK and France all participated this year, with the NATO contingent getting "rounded-out" by the appearance of Poland at this year's Victory Day parade outside of the Kremlin. I find that particularly interesting, since just last Sept Medvedev had given a speech defending the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on the anniversary of the 1939 joint invasion of Poland by the Soviet and Nazi armies... and he gave the speech in POLAND, no less!

How does the leader of a nation like Russia make that kind of decision to give that kind of speech in that sort of place... and still expect to not draw suspicions from people like me? I have to assume that the NATO leadership decided to include Poland in the NATO contingent for exactly that reason... to show Russia where Poland is now in regards to her role in European relations.

I say again... Russia and the US are NOT enemies, but we are NOT friends, either. Anyone that thinks that Russia and the US share common diplomatic and foreign policy goals is simply ignorant or obtuse. Medvedev/Putin have an agenda, and their political machine is working over-time to get that agenda cemented into Russian foreign policy before Medvedev's two-terms are up. This agenda is to see the Russian state regain the glory and power that they feel the Soviet Union enjoyed, but was never captured by any individual survivor-states that emerged from the breakup of the USSR. They are expanding both diplomatic and military "fingers" in an effort to extend and reinforce influence outside of the "traditional" sphere that both post-Soviet Russia and the former USSR maintained... in small, unobtrusive steps that very few others in our government seem to see or feel.

I'm not sure how I feel about seeing US troops marching in Red Square... but I am marginally encouraged by the thought that someone in the NATO command sees that placing Poland in the mix was a good way to show the Medvedev/Putin machine that we still see slights when they are made, and that the old "lines in the dirt" are not all gone.