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I've been in several countries where the State Dept has made a habit of advising Americans not to stay. At least with the crowd I hang out with, it is generally

by wrp 4y ago

I've been in several countries where the State Dept has made a habit of advising Americans not to stay. At least with the crowd I hang out with, it is generally seen as crying wolf. On the other hand, back in Soviet times, false arrests were a political tactic. I have a good story about that... I knew a guy who was in the USSR as a grad student in 1968. When the Soviets invaded Czechoslovakia, he and his fellow American students decided they should exit to the West for a spell, because of that whole false arrests thing. They got on a train and as they were headed to the border, they heard some news about a trumped up smuggling charge when a tourist's baggage was searched. Fearing the same tactic used on them, they went back to the luggage car and searched their own bags. Lo and behold, one guy found an antique silver crucifix in his suitcase. They opened the car window and flung out the crucifix as they passed a field. When they got to the border station, that one guy was singled out by the guards for a very thorough search of his bags, but finding nothing, they had to let him through.

w0m 4y ago
I'm surprised they'd bother actually planting something ahead of time.
- inglor_cz 4y ago
  Even totalitarian states change over time and Brezhnev's times were characteristic by their bureaucracy. Hence the planting of evidence ahead. 20 years earlier, the intended victims would probably be just kidnapped and shot, but their deaths would be recorded as executions. Putin's era is characteristic by an inordinate amount of "accidents". Hey, change!
michaelt 4y ago
> the State Dept [...] At least with the crowd I hang out with, it is generally seen as crying wolf. If I told you there was a country where you should exercise increased caution because terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, major sporting and cultural events, and other public areas - can you guess what country that would be? That's right, it's Belgium [1] I can't imagine what a US State Department travel advisory for travel to the United States would look like.... [1] https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Belgium.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-tra...
- BrandoElFollito 4y ago
  When reading the advisories (I usually read the ones from a few countries, including mine -France), I compare them to the countries I know well and then decide on the actual dangers. Usually they are way off. The good thing about these advisories is some health stuff : the shots, where to seek help etc.

by wrp 4y ago

w0m 4y ago

I'm surprised they'd bother actually planting something ahead of time.

inglor_cz 4y ago
Even totalitarian states change over time and Brezhnev's times were characteristic by their bureaucracy. Hence the planting of evidence ahead. 20 years earlier, the intended victims would probably be just kidnapped and shot, but their deaths would be recorded as executions. Putin's era is characteristic by an inordinate amount of "accidents". Hey, change!

michaelt 4y ago

> the State Dept [...] At least with the crowd I hang out with, it is generally seen as crying wolf. If I told you there was a country where you should exercise increased caution because terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, major sporting and cultural events, and other public areas - can you guess what country that would be? That's right, it's Belgium [1] I can't imagine what a US State Department travel advisory for travel to the United States would look like.... [1] https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Belgium.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-tra...

BrandoElFollito 4y ago
When reading the advisories (I usually read the ones from a few countries, including mine -France), I compare them to the countries I know well and then decide on the actual dangers. Usually they are way off. The good thing about these advisories is some health stuff : the shots, where to seek help etc.