Article makes a reasonably compelling argument that France is the best, rather than middle.
They're in a tough position without a navy
Huh? Fleet Brest.
agree with that. russia has too many fronts. can easily be ganged up against. if the western powers are united in the opening, they can completely neutralize russia's northern port.
"It sucks being hyphenated" has been a watchword for me since high school, I like that it's been proven out here.
I prefer to think of it as "The Habsberg Empire" to avoid the hyphen.