Russia needs to be slapped down, hard.
Buying time with lives, thats the conventional wisdom......Unfortunately the costs are always greater on the back than the front.Every step backs makes the Horde stronger to rest of the Dictators and evil cultures around the world.
Germany and France, both of whom opposed the US and Britain in April by blocking Georgian negotiations to join Nato, have been the most reluctant to punish Russia for the conflict of the past three weeks and are desperate to try to revive the Russia-Georgia peace plan mediated by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France a fortnight ago.
Both Paris and Berlin agreed that the unilateral recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia by Russia left the peace plan ineffectual. A summit of EU leaders in Brussels on Monday will discuss Europe's options.
As usual, our 'allies' admit that their plan failed, but of course they'll be behind us all the way.
Waaaay behind us.