OutsidersworryaboutLatvia’s manifold weaknesses, ranging fromleakybordercontrolsto feeble defencespending, as well asthe domination of the mediabyshadowycommercialinterests.
Yet another source of Mr Blair's self-confidence is a feeling that Britain could play a pivotal role in Europe's complex structure of cross-border defence relationships.
Although Myanmar has negotiated ceasefires with some of the ethnic insurgents along the border, defence spending keeps climbing, partly because the government fears an uprising, like the one in 1988 that followed demonetisation.