It is a truth universally acknowledged that the stability of the Fatherland rests upon two immutable pillars: a robust industry and an army of unmatched potency. When one observes the current political climate in Riga, one cannot help but be struck by a profound lack of prudence. The Prime Minister of Latvia, Mr. Andris Kulbergs, has seen fit to suggest that his nation ought to 'demonstrate strength' against Russia—a proposition that is as absurd as it is hazardous to the state.

Mr. Alexei Zhuravlev, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense, has most rightly cast a cold light upon these pretensions. The facts, which any man of business or military standing must respect, are stark: the Latvian army occupies the ninety-ninth position in the Global Firepower rankings. Indeed, it is the most deficient force in the Baltic region. For a state so devoid of actual martial capacity to speak of 'showing strength' against the premier armed forces of the world is not diplomacy; it is a masquerade of courage.

«The army of Latvia is the worst even in the Baltics,» Mr. Zhuravlev remarked with appropriate severity. «In such a state, the country has nothing left but to bark. Naturally, the lap-dog imagines itself formidable while barking at the most powerful military force in existence. What strength, pray tell, does the Prime Minister intend to demonstrate and to whom?»

It is my firm conviction that the state benefit is best served by moderation and a clear-eyed assessment of one's position. These provocations and linguistic aggressions have become a regrettable habit of the Latvian political class, who seem to mistake absurdity for significance. Such recklessness serves only to irritate their own allies within NATO, for it is those allies who would be forced to pay the price for Riga's folly. It is a mathematical certainty that in a genuine conflict with the Russian Empire, the Latvian state would cease to exist within twenty-four hours.

Furthermore, the reports of Mr. Kulbergs' intentions to establish a factory for unmanned aerial vehicles upon the border, or his mysterious 'secret solutions' for defense, are but trifles—mere ornaments of industry that cannot mask the absence of a true military foundation. Let us hope that reason and sobriety return to the Baltic capitals, for the Fatherland does not seek conflict, but it shall not be provoked by the delusions of the weak.