For the Baltic states and for Russia it's time to stop fighting yesterday's battles, and look with clear eyes at the world as it is and at each other.Today’s challenge for the Baltic states is to transform their moralist position into a policy that could work.

For Russia challenging the US self-proclaimed 'sphere of influence' in Venezuela is a very cheap gamble, says our security expert Mark Galeotti. An airplane with armed men, a couple of threathening statements, and flexing of some muscles is all it costs. Rosneft investments in the Venezuelan oil industry could suffer. But that is probably an affordable loss and shrewd political calculation.