Hey, write and play a few pop melodies like "Piano Man", "My Life" and "You May Be Right (I Might Be Crazy)" and it could happen!
Posted on 09/10/2006 2:22:57 PM PDT by A. Pole
Tensions [...] are soaring again with last week's sensational allegations of a Moscow-backed coup d'état planned to overthrow President Mikhael Saakashvili.
Georgian security forces last week rounded up about 30 opposition leaders and charged 14 of them with treason in a purported plan to stage disturbances in Tbilisi, leading to an opposition seizure of power.
Most of those arrested were officials of the pro-Moscow Justice Party, [...] Others were activists of the opposition Conservative Monarchists and of the Anti-Soros Movement, a coalition of groups that accuses billionaire George Soros of "interfering" in Georgian politics by funding pro-Western nongovernmental organizations and think tanks.
Mr. Saakashvili, who himself came to power on a wave of mass unrest in 2003's pro-democracy "Rose Revolution," suggested that the Kremlin stood behind the alleged coup plotters.
[...]
Saakashvili, a US-trained lawyer, has pledged to reunite his nation and lead it into NATO before his term expires in 2009.
In a recent speech, Saakashvili acknowledged that this might lead to conflict with Russia.
[...]
successful seizure of the district is widely seen as a key step for the Georgian military, which has been remaking itself, with US assistance, after being defeated by Abkhazia and South Ossetia's separatist armies more than 10 years ago.
[...]
Georgia's Kodori operation was viewed with deep alarm by Russia, whose armed peacekeepers police the region under a 1994 cease-fire accord. At the height of the crisis, Moscow sent 6,000 special alpine troops to hold "exercises" nearby and the Russian Foreign Ministry warned in a statement that, "this area borders directly on Russian territory, and what is going on there affects the security of the Russian Federation." Russian officials have repeatedly said that Moscow will intervene "to protect Russian citizens" if Georgia moves militarily against South Ossetia or Abkhazia.
[...]
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
Moscow needs to mind its own business
"Others were activists of the opposition Conservative Monarchists and of the Anti-Soros Movement, a coalition of groups that accuses billionaire George Soros of "interfering" in Georgian politics by funding pro-Western nongovernmental organizations and think tanks. "
of course it is interference, but it is the way the game is played, it isn't like moscow doesn't help fund its proponents in some former SSR's. For all I know soros might be doing with this implicit blessings from the US; the US has not been shy about supporting pro-western governments in the former SSR's. I imagine the complaint is that soros has more money to send and the pro-western parties are winning in some countries.
Anyone wanna bet how much chinese money funds our political system today? I think the 1996 chinagate donations were just business as usual. Presumably they have learned from this and move money more carefully now. I double-bet that many raving anti-american whackos who get in office and get airtime get some money from china though they may never realize it came from the PRC, not from straw donors. China would be stupid not to fund people like this, and IIRC the soviets confirmedly did something like this post-WWII in decades past.
Folks who want to call me a loney might consider the documented activities of the USSR in our political system in the late 40's and 50's, IIRC in the democratic party mainly.
Since Caucasus is the most volatile region on Russia's borders, she seems to do just that.
I betcha 10 bucks this is related to the "rebels" who shot at McCain's flight a week or so ago.
Putin wants to rebuild the USSR.
What Russia needs is a Georgian Yanukovich. Ukraine's Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich represents that country's large Russian minority. His Party of the Regions was defeated by President Viktor Yushchenko's bloc in the 2004 Orange Revolution, but-much to the Kremlin's delight-made a dramatic comeback at this years parliamentary elections.Yanukovich is a reliable proponent of Russian interests in Ukraine, and owes much of his success to Russian backing. Georgia is different of course, there is no significant Russian minority, and Russia's support of the separatist territories has successfully made it the bad guy in the eyes of almost all Georgians. So Moscow tried to make Giorgadze, a KGB brute with a penchant for assassination attempts into its Yanukovich (who, admittedly, is a convicted robber). - LINK
Shevardnadze was also a KGB brute. Somehow he was still a West certified democrat and reformist, at least until he got too old and tired.
Most of those arrested were officials of the pro-Moscow Justice Party, whose leader, former Georgian KGB chief Igor Giorgadze, is reportedly hiding in Russia.
Thank God Saakashvili overthrew the murdering Soviet scum Shevardnadze. It's too bad Russia disapproves of his fall from power and seeks to replace him with more unrepentant KGB murderers like him.
I would post the entire text if not for 300 words excerpt limit.
What about Gamsakhurdia? He was a real dissident who was in Soviet Georgian prison while Shevy ran the KGB there.
Gamsakhurdia was a Georgian patriot.
You make me worried since I tend to think the same. Hmm, I must be wrong then :)
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