Edward, easy for you to judge. But the Estonians, after 16 years or regained independence, had every right to move a statue. It was a municipal thing, not a national decision, really, even though it had national repercussions.

Your argument makes minimal sense when you argue two different opposing views. It is too bad you can't make up your mind. You said: "Even if this hadn't happened, the Russians would have found something else to agitate about."

Damn straight. The Russians (in the Kremlin) and other pro-Kremlin activitis know bloody well what they are doing is propoganda, and has nothing if anything at all to do with the Soviet war dead.

I'm on the side of Estonia's right to make any decision it wishes, not having to weigh and see if it might further upset the Russians.

The outrageous reaction by the Russian Government in the case of Tallinn's memorial to the Soviet soldier as "liberator" is probably motivated by the wish to intimidate the balance of Eastern Europe which is full of similar statues. No one likes them because they actually commemorate a marauding horde of rapists who brought Soviet oppression. Every country would like to get rid of such memorials.

There's some fine commentary surfacing on this issue by some finely-tuned Estonian-Russian authors, particularly in EPL. Worth reading, because the analysis on pretty much on the mark, showing the shallowness of Lucas this time round. The guy hasn't got a clue about the acutness of the problem.

If we follow Lucas' logic, Sarkozy should resign as well...but he hasn't even been sworn in as President.