mr10+@andrew.cmu.edu (Michael Reed) (04/11/90)
From: Michael Reed <mr10+@andrew.cmu.edu> One of the interesting geopolitical/strategic points which noone seems to have realized is that, should Lithuania actually [be allowed to] secede, a chunk of territory between Poland and Lithuania which is actually part of the Republic of Russia (!) will be isolated from the Soviet Union (!!). Its name escapes me at the moment, but the only Poland and Lithuania are its only neighbors. Lestrade "Do not come to this University." mr10+@andrew.cmu.edu R746MR10@VB.CC.CMU.EDU
pjt@niksula.hut.fi (Pekka J Taipale) (04/12/90)
From: pjt@niksula.hut.fi (Pekka J Taipale) In article <15449@cbnews.ATT.COM> mr10+@andrew.cmu.edu (Michael Reed) writes: >One of the interesting geopolitical/strategic points which noone seems >to have realized is that, should Lithuania actually [be allowed to] >secede, a chunk of territory between Poland and Lithuania which is >actually part of the Republic of Russia (!) will be isolated from the >Soviet Union (!!). Its name escapes me at the moment, but the only >Poland and Lithuania are its only neighbors. This chunk of territory is called Kaliningrad, which was part of Germany before the WWII. Russia has very few round-the-year-open sea harbors - Kaliningrad, Leningrad, Murmansk and Vladivostok - so the strategic importance of Kaliningrad is very high. I think the whole area is basically a military base. They have missiles, a huge naval base, etc. The existence of Kaliningrad is one of the factors that make it so hard for the USSR to allow Lithuania to secede. -- Pekka Taipale -- pjt@niksula.hut.fi
MJackson.Wbst@Xerox.COM (04/12/90)
From: MJackson.Wbst@Xerox.COM Michael Reed <mr10+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes: > One of the interesting geopolitical/strategic points which noone seems to > have realized is that, should Lithuania actually [be allowed to] secede, a > chunk of territory between Poland and Lithuania which is actually part of > the Republic of Russia (!) will be isolated from the Soviet Union (!!). > Its name escapes me at the moment,. . . ^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^ "East Prussia." :-) Actually, it isn't a separate political entity. It's an isolated pocket of the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic, which includes 50% of the population and 75% of the territory of the USSR and otherwise extends from the Baltics, Byelorussia, and the Ukraine eastward to the Pacific. Mark