Thus the Financial Times today. “Putin’s visit to Serbia viewed as mission to extend influence,” explains the newspaper. As a countermeasure, German president Joachim Gauck visited Slovenia this week. In contrast to Vladimir Putin’s review of a military parade, Gauck visited a vocational center, a monastery, and an aircraft factory. More such visits to the region are in the works. Slovenia and Croatia, both of which are already in the European Union, are in the focus. In addition, Angela Merkel will host the first-ever Western Balkans summit in Berlin on the hundredth anniversary of World War I. But the worry about the Russian influence extends to much of Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Hungary to the south, as well as Estonia and Latvia to the north. This is where Putin has been quite active lately. Returning to the Western Balkans, there is not a word in the article about what either Germany or the Union need to do to prop up the region economically and thus counter the Russian political influence. The most obvious idea would be some kind of Marshall Plan for the Balkans, which is smack in the middle of Europe, but nobody is bright enough to even think of it, let alone attempt to bring it to life. All the Germans and the Union officials have in mind is sheer diplomacy. Nincompoops, or what?