[Tolik]

    Victor Davis Hanson Ping ! 

       Let me know if you want in or out.

Links:    FR Index of his articles:  http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=victordavishanson
                His website: http://victorhanson.com/
                NRO archive: http://www.nationalreview.com/hanson/hanson-archive.asp
                Pajamasmedia:   http://victordavishanson.pajamasmedia.com/

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I respect this man greatly, and I hate it that he’s correct.

I’d rather hear, “The bombings begin in ten minutes...”

[Obadiah]

The Russians have sized up the moral bankruptcy of the Western Left. They know that half-a-million Europeans would turn out to damn their patron the United States for removing a dictator and fostering democracy, but not more than a half-dozen would do the same to criticize their long-time enemy from bombing a constitutional state.

Where are all the liberals? Where are the liberal activist MSM types denouncing Russia? Oh, how they hate the U.S., and are silent when the bear crushes a democracy. They are fools unworthy of pity.

[Red Badger]

Gori is the birthplace of Josef Stalin. No wonder Putin wants it back...............

[rhombus]

The Russians rightly expect Westerners to turn on themselves, rather than Moscow — and they won’t be disappointed. Imagine the morally equivalent fodder for liberal lament: We were unilateral in Iraq, so we can’t say Russia can’t do the same to Georgia. (As if removing a genocidal dictator is the same as attacking a democracy). We accepted Kosovo’s independence, so why not Ossetia’s? (As if the recent history of Serbia is analogous to Georgia’s.) We are still captive to neo-con fantasies about democracy, and so encouraged Georgia’s efforts that provoked the otherwise reasonable Russians (As if the problem in Ossetia is our principled support for democracy rather than appeasement of Russian dictatorship).

How very sad but true.

[1rudeboy]

Solid work by Hanson.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

“The new reality is that a nuclear, cash-rich, and energy-blessed Russia doesn’t really worry too much whether its long-term future is bleak, given problems with Muslim minorities, poor life-expectancy rates, and a declining population. Instead, in the here and now, it has a window of opportunity to reclaim prestige and weaken its adversaries. So why hesitate?”

As I've said for years. A wounded bear is the most dangerous bear. They have nothing to lose at this point.

[mick]

Outstanding article. We need to immediately convene NATO and grant membership to Ukraine. To show Putin that he may have won Georgia but he has lost Ukraine forever.

[hershey]

Let’s hope VDH is wrong and that we have a few more cards up our sleeve.

[ken21]

i wonder when europe’s going to wake up?

angela merkel, the chancellor of germany, opposed georgia’s admission to nato last month, after president bush’s trip.

france had questions about the “balance of power” changing in europe if the ukraine and georgia were allowed to join nato.

so, there you are.

[Savage Beast]

"The Russians have sized up the moral bankruptcy of the Western Left."

Everyone has. In fact, an oppressive oligarchy of thugs and tin-horn dictators, living in splendor--themselves, of course--is the Leftist Dream. Moral highmindedness is their camoflage, bread and circuses their handouts to the peasantry, but their moral bankruptcy is obvious to all but the delusional and the stupid.

[brytlea]

Most importantly, Putin and Medvedev have called the West’s bluff.

[eclectic]

weak

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

The Russians have sized up the moral bankruptcy of the Western Left. - VDH

Well yes, about 80 years ago.

Another bunch have sized it up too: Muslims. Here's a snip from "The Role of Islam in North Ossetia" by Mikhail Roshchin:

"While the majority of Ossetians are Christian, according to official estimates, 15-30 percent of the population is Muslim. The Ossetian capital of Vladikavkaz houses the central mosque, built in the beginning of the 20th century. Money for the construction of the mosque came from Azeri oil magnate Murtuza Mukhtarov, who married an Ossetian woman named Tuganova. (The mosque was built in the Egyptian style and has no architectural analogies in the North Caucasus.) But it was only after the collapse of the Soviet Union that a massive religious revival occurred. Islam began to be practiced more openly, with many Muslims adopting so-called Wahhabism, which is what fundamentalism is referred to in the North Caucasus."

Full commentary at www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2372087

As long as this conflict is framed in terms of Christians killing Christians, and a toddling democracy being mowed down by an undead and flesh-eating Soviet empire, Muslims will be reinforced, especially in their opinions of the moral bankruptcy of the West, its ruling left, plus its right and center.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Yep, he nails it.

[sourcery]

With great and painful reluctance, I am forced to agree with the author.

[RobFromGa]

They know that half-a-million Europeans would turn out to damn their patron the United States for removing a dictator and fostering democracy, but not more than a half-dozen would do the same to criticize their long-time enemy from bombing a constitutional state.

Brilliant essay, God I wish it weren't so true. The West's "civilized" ways may lead to the end of Western civilization. We assume that others will play by our rules but the world is run by force in the end, and I would prefer that force to be in the hands of people who love freedom rather than ruthless power-hungry dictators.

[Riflema]

One thing VDH does not mention as a possible reprisal is us exercising again the “Afghan” option. Would it be possible for Vlad to learn the meaning of “Sin in Haste, Repent at leisure”?

[junta]

Ukraine has a sizable minority of russians amongst it, and if you think come a cold january the fops of euroland are going to go to bat for some color coded revolutianary up to his or her armpits in snaky deals (like the gas queen)then you will be disappointed.

[jazusamo]

Excellent article by VDH, as usual. The RATS in DC had better start waking up.