In 2009 I watched a fabulous BBC series starring Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine. It was called Last Chance to See, a follow-up to a BBC radio series 20 years earlier when Douglas Adams (of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy fame) and Carwardine had sought out a number of animals teetering on the brink of extinction. The TV series was, alas, too late to see the Yangtze River Dolphin. Man had done its thing in the intervening years, and it was no more.
I’m doing my own Last Chance to See. I’m visiting countries, the very existence of which are under existential threat by neighbouring authoritarian tyrants. Late last year I visited Helsinki in Finland, and Tallin in Estonia. This week I’ve visited Latvia and Lithuania, which means I have safely ticked the Baltics off my list before Putin ticks them off his. I won. Take that, Vlad. I also hope to reach Tblisi before his tanks, although it may be a close run thing. Alas, I do appear to be too late for Ukraine. I have my own Yangtze River Dolphin. Let’s call it a draw. For now. Things can change.
Riga is very nice. It snowed, which made its already festive display of lights and baubles even nicer still. It’s a city (and country) that was left absolutely devastated by World War II and the Soviet occupation. There’s a museum dedicated to the period 1989 to the 1990s that ranks amongst the finest story telling of any museum I’ve ever visited. That is what a museum should do – tell a story. Some places seem to miss that point. I hope to visit the former KGB building tomorrow. The fear and distrust of Russia is palpable. In Lithuania, I visited the Hill of Crosses, the site of a (mostly) non-violent battle between the people and the forces of the Soviet Union. It’s a fascinating story. The people won. Hurrah!
I’d like to think the fine people of the Republic of China will similarly overcome the threat to their existence from the dictator across the straits, without need for bloodshed. Or at least hold on long enough that I can plant my footsteps in Taiwanese soil before the gun-toting minions of Xi trample the country underfoot. Then I will almost have completed my series of Last Chance to See. Almost. But there is one more country I need to get to before a 21st century Führer goes all blitzkrieg on it.
I didn’t have Greenland on my Last Chance to See bingo card when I started out. But here we are, and Greenland here I come.
The Mexile 
The Russians will take until they can’t. Drones seem to be the short-term future of warfare, the EU needs to build more of the little flying bombs, a lot more.
As to China, Taiwan is a rat hole of cost and reputation. That island is like eating a grenade, even if they run them over, the aftermath will be a ton of heartburn.
As to Greenland, I doubt the US electorate would stand for an armed takeover.
Trump is a lame duck now, even his henchmen Green has bent before the wind of discontent in her local congressional district and called Trump out. The video coming out of the cities of his ICE goons beating on people are going to make interesting adverts in the next election cycle. He owns this stuff. His relationship with Russia could well put him in a cage before the end of his term. Is what it is.
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I think Greenland (and Canada!) is safe for now. But it’s insane that in 2025, a blogger would suggest that it’s not 100% safe and produce as evidence speeches by the US president.
Some of the electoral results should worry Trump and his gang. Anything approaching super-majorities (and they likely don’t need to get all the way there to 66%) would put him in all sorts of trouble.
And whilst highly unlikely, that there are plausible routes to a US military coup to put him in cage or a box, is a damning indictment on the state of the west in general…
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And all that said, he’s barking at Greenland again.
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Let us hope something shiny distracts him long enough for him to pass on from whatever ails him. The guy is a nut.
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