Posted on 08/16/2008 3:12:37 AM PDT by fightinJAG
Vladimir Putin's mastery checkmates the West Michael Binyon says Russia has been biding its time - but its victory in Georgia has been brutal and brilliant
President Saakashvili was forced to accept defeat yesterday as he signed a peace agreement that gives the Russian Army the right to patrol on Georgian soil.
In a critical amendment to the ceasefire drawn up by President Sarkozy of France, the Kremlin forced Mr Saakashvili to accept that Russian troops could control a buffer zone of Georgian territory up to 10km beyond the border of the breakaway region of South Ossetia.
Mr Saakashvili was humiliated further when the final text of the agreement, delivered personally by Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, removed a reference to Russian recognition of Georgia’s territorial integrity. It referred only to independence and sovereignty, a day after Ser-gei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, said that the world could forget about Georgia’s territorial integrity.
After signing the peace agreement, an emotional Mr Saakashvili said defiantly: “A significant part of Georgian territory remains under foreign military occupation. Never, ever will Georgia reconcile itself with the occupation of even one square kilometre of its territory.”
The US and the European Union appear to have compelled him to accept just that, at least temporarily, in a deal that, in effect, legitimises Russian occupation of Georgia.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Yah, that's probably O.K., as long as the Ruskies aren't doing it. ;)
It's a check and not a checkmate. It isn't 'mastery' for an elephant to step on an ant. This guy gives Vlad too much credit.
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“My proposal. Russia has certainly put us on notice that they are not our friend. We need to secure Poland as part of NATO. We need major military installations in Poland to help protect their independence. In Georgia we take what we can get for the time being. We work geopolitically after we safeguard Poland to pressure Russia into leaving a majority Georgia alone. “
We must include the Baltic States and Ukraine in your plan which is a good one. But I don;t see Bush having the nerve to do it. Nor Obama. McCain - maybe.
Where ARE the Code Pinkos ? Why their deafening silence? Where is that gasbag Benjamin?
This is beyond disgusting.
Let’s hope not.
I would hope the agreement is used to demonstrate that Russia is indeed the aggressor.
Sometimes ceasefires are politically and historically useful for what they do not accomplish as much as for what they do.
Sort of like getting a U.N. resolution. Such is worthless in fact, but nevertheless helpful in blunting the inevitable criticism that a country took military action as a first rather than last resort.
Regardless what the ceasefire supposedly consists of, Russia is violating it. The more it gave to Russia in the first place, the more Russia’s continued violations prove our point. And build a formation for further action in the future.
We shall see.
That’s the beauty of this, if that’s the word for it.
The less demanding the ceasefire is on Russia, the more provocative it will be if Russia fails to abide by each and every term.
Plus, this is not over yet.
The main point is that the entire world now knows that Russia is giving in to its hegemonic tendencies. Again.
We will act accordingly.
However, the vaunted “international community” the Rats are always slobbering about will always be an OBSTACLE to appropriate action.
The Georgian military, before it was blitzkrieged lately, was only about as big as one squad of Russkies.
IOW, no contest militarily.
Check out the pics in some of these articles of what the Russkies did to the new Georgian military bases. They leveled them in just a few minutes.
Since when is the Devil Brilliant?
Of course, any provision that is to be executed in the future is an opportunity for prevarication by the aggressor Russkies.
Somehow they will find the composition of the peacekeeping contingent unacceptable, blah blah blah. Also they will go to their “friends” in Europe (under the table, of course) and convince them it is not in their best interests to NOT stall and stall on this.
Or the Russkies will simply start some diversionary action that makes it “impossible” for them to either accept peacekeepers or for the sending countries to send peacekeepers.
But anyway, this is (or can be used as) a known “attempt to resolve” that was sabotaged by the Russkies, thus helping to build the record that they are the aggressors. These “attempts” then get litanized in the run-up to other actions that need to be taken.
Don’t waste your time with him, he’s clueless.
If the United States were in the position of the Europeans, being dependent on Russia for heat this winter, I have not the slightest doubt that most of our politicians and more than half of our population would be falling over backwards to appease the Russians. Conservative values and with it the willingness of a people to stand up to tyranny has been largely relegated to the dust bins of history. While I believe in time it will rise again, it will be after my limited lifetime.
We should DRILL the heck out of ANWR and our coasts and provide Europe with oil.
We should also DEMAND those rats in robes in Iraq CANCEL their damn agreement with Red CHina and sell the fuel WE librated to Eurtope.
Agreed. Good news today it seems the Germans have stepped up to the plate and proposed Georgia become a member of NATO. Also Ukraine has become much more proactive in its proposals for the US missle shield.
I agree with you that no major miltary operations are going to occur before Nov. But I think that Bush will act after the election. One because if Obama wins it forces the Dems to deal with the situation and if McCain wins it gives McCain political cover that he is just mopping up for what Bush started.
“I agree with you that no major miltary operations are going to occur before Nov. But I think that Bush will act after the election. One because if Obama wins it forces the Dems to deal with the situation and if McCain wins it gives McCain political cover that he is just mopping up for what Bush started. “
A good tactic on Bush’s part if he does it.
I usually let these things pass, but the MSM has been playing this same game so much lately it has really been bugging me.
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