Thank you for all your comments.  This article dates from 2009 and should not be read as a commentary on the latest developments in Latvia, which I have not visited for some years.  I note with interest but also with some sadness that the debate between Russians and Latvians remains as vigorous as ever.  My point in writing the article was not to enter into that debate but instead to highlight the fact that the way in which the Russian minority is treated in Latvia would attract violent criticism were it to be applied to any other minority in Europe.  All over Europe, human rights are enforced, often hypocritically, over and above the state rights which Latvia demands and has largely achieved.  This is a clear case of double-standards and needs to be understood within the context of the ongoing desire by the EU and the US to push Russia out of European affairs.

Thank you for all your comments.  This article dates from 2009 and should not be read as a commentary on the latest developments in Latvia, which I have not visited for some years.  I note with interest but also with some sadness that the debate between Russians and Latvians remains as vigorous as ever.  My point in writing the article was not to enter into that debate but instead to highlight the fact that the way in which the Russian minority is treated in Latvia would attract violent criticism were it to be applied to any other minority in Europe.  All over Europe, human rights are enforced, often hypocritically, over and above the state rights which Latvia demands and has largely achieved.  This is a clear case of double-standards and needs to be understood within the context of the ongoing desire by the EU and the US to push Russia out of European affairs.