GEORGIA CONFLICT 2008
[ HOME ] - [ BACKGROUND ] - [ AUG 1-7 ] - [ AUG 8-9 ] - [ AUG 10-11 ] - [ AUG 12-13 ] - [ AUG 14-15 ] - [ AUG 16 ]
PURPOSE
Posted on 08/17/2008 8:30:30 AM PDT by Jeff Head
Here's a new site documenting the background to and events involved in the Georgian conflict, including transripts of the responses of Bush, McCain, Obama, Putin, and Medvedev throughout the crisis.
Hope it provides good info to any Freeper so interested.
FYI. My latest regarding the conflict in Georgia.
Thanks very much, Jeff. Read-when-I-get-home-from-work BUMP!
Thanks Jeff. This will be very helpful to folks. I know I did a lot of searching when this first broke to be clear about what was going on. We don’t all have the time for the type of research we sometimes need to get a clear picture.
You are welcome. Lots of info there. Been working on it all week in my “spare” time. Let me know what you think.
Lots of late hours on this, this week. Hope it is helpful.
Thanks.
Thanks!
Nice job on your website and thanks for taking the lead on this.
You are both welcome. Hope you find the info useful.
They are liars. All of them. (challenges MSM's version of events in Georgia)
I have corresponded with and read just as convincing stories from the other side. Those stories speak of Ossetians shelling a Gerogian village after the intital cease-fire...which the Georgians then correctly construed as a violation and attacked.
I believe this story for very simple and direct reasons.
1st, the Russians have great interests in maintaining control of the tunnel that exits the Caucasus mountains, and a sea approach into Georgia that is unopposed. They do so with the two seperatist, and they hope to be soon independent provinces. They have supported those movements for just these obvious reasons and not out of care for the people's there.
It is a geopolitical gambit to allow direct and immediate access into Georgia and the Caspian region and its resources.
2nd, the Russians were prepared far too quickly with their supposed "retalitory" actions. Putting together that much armor and troops, and the amphibious and naval operations that soon followed is not accomplished in a day or two. Those things had to be in motion for weeks beforehand.
Yet the Russians were ready to go within hours of the Georgians pushing north into South Ossetia. Clearly, the Russians had this planned well before the Georgians ever attacked.
I have no doubts at this point that the Russians helped and urged the Ossetians to attack, and goaded the Gerogians into coming north precisely so they could use it as a pretext for their military actions. Stories that try and view it as something different or being encouraged by the Russians and used as propoganda.
I also have no doubts because it all happened when it did, with the start of the Olympics. That was not just coincidence either.
People's who put their faith and trust in Putin and his ilk are misguided at best, and complicit with his aims at worst. He is not altruistic, and he is not "protecting" them. He is advancing his own plans for power and using naked aggression to do so.
Luckily, the Georgians held out long enough for the Presidents of Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, and Lithuania to arrive in Tiblisi before the Russians could get theere, and before they could kill the Georgian President which they were trying to do. That was one of the most couragous things I have seen done by a group of national leaders in my lifetime...and it worked.
Coupling that with Washington's strong response and Bush now sending the US military to spearhead humanitarian efforts for the Georgians...and at the same time provide a de facto military shield, has to this point halted the Russina military gambit.
The situation is still tense and a crisis for sure, but I believe now that Georgia will survive a free country.
If the populations of the two porvinces voite to go their own way, unfortunately I believe the UN will go along, as will the Russians of course, and Georgia will be deprived of those critical areas for its own defense.
The answer to this will likely be the US and Western Europe seriously upgrading and modernizing Georgia's military, her admission into NATO, and probably US or NATO bases in Georgia to ensure that she is not cut asunder by the Russian capability to at will come through that tunnel and land troops on the shore, all south of the Caucasus.
But make no mistake, the weaponry that the Georgians will utlimately receive in such a scenario, will allow them to do what they could not do this go around...that is target and bring down the tunnel, and target and oppose landing that would otherwise threaten them.
In addition to that, which will work against Putin's designs, there will also be other unintended consequences like the treaty Poland just signed, probably Ukraine's admittance into NATO as well as Ukraine severly restricting the Russian Black Sea fleet use of the base at Sevastapol, and other former satellites much more quickly and solidly being driven into the westen republics camp.
I am willing to bt that the Georgia President wins re-election in a landslide.
The latest is Russia is announcing that Georgia is planning a provacative act in Gori before they leave.
They control Gori and have for days. Anything coming out of there will be their own creation and a pretext for further action. Plain and simple.
The Georgians are in an omproving situation with US relief and military coming in, the support of the EU and many other nations, and a cease fire they just signed and have held to despite Russian violations already.
Clearly, they would have no interest in reversing any of that...other than hoping the international community can get the Russians to abide by what they just signed yesterday.
Thanks for posting this.
I personaly say that enough is enough and it is time to take the spoiled brat to the proverbial woodshed.
FYI
You are welcome. Feel free to share the link and the information.
My own post to that thread was this:
At this point I don’t know who to believe or how much to believe them, but I do know that when it comes to government propaganda and MSM laziness and incompetence, there are always three sides to every coin.
Putin's evil lust for "power" using "naked aggression" versus Georgia's benign and perfectly understandable desire for "self defense" sounds way to cute for me. In any event, from your post it sounds like Russia mounted a stunning military victory using impeccable planning, covert operations, and a dazzling propaganda campaign. I hope our own military is taking notes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.