Posted on 08/10/2008 2:39:43 PM PDT by library user
As a Russian jet bombed fields around his village, Djimali Avago, a Georgian farmer, asked me: “Why won’t America and Nato help us? If they won’t help us now, why did we help them in Iraq?”
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
I’m not convinced it should bear any of it. There are a number of things going on here. I believe Georgia did escalate it’s military activity in South Ossetia the other day. I may be wrong about that. That could have driven this. I doubt Russia just out of the blue mobilized though. This had to have been in the works IMO.
Russia has been cruising for a bruising after the Bosnia/Kosovo bombing and recognition of Kosovo’s independence.
I don’t think we should completely ignore the fact that it chose 08/08/08 as the day to start it’s military campaign either. What that says about it’s willingness to steal some of China’s thunder I just don’t know. Was China privy to these plans?
This is kinda strange, what is taking place. Russia bombing the people it was trying to save sure speaks volumes. Destroying that hospital was sheer genius if you’re trying to convince folks Georgia was abusing the South Ossetians, and so Russia had to go in to stop it.
I doubt Russia has any idea how badly it just shot itself in the foot, but then again China seems to skate any responsibility for it’s actions. Russia probably thinks it will too. And I’m having a hard time thinking it won’t.
I’m sure our business folks will be back to business as usual on Monday, as it relates to Russia. No big deal. Lots of money to be made. What’s a few thousand deaths and a sovereign nation taken over worth on the world markets these days?
Zip.
Ah, that’s it. ;-)
WE can offer some other assistance with medical needs and comunications, right now the Ruskies are trying to sever internet links.
This is a key moment, supposedly Rice is a Russia “expert”, but I doubt anything will stop the Russian Army from finishing their punitive expedition into Georgia.
IMO, they don’t want to occupy Georgia, they do want to devestate it though.
okay. scratch Roosevelt...
No, the Euros are dependent on Russian oil, gas, and natural gas, they will not do a single thing in the way of sanctions.
Exactly. Save for your post above, look at all of the effeminate hand-wringing and tear-shedding going on with this thread.
Ridiculous.
Instead, Bush will see that the Georgians get the missiles that they need to bloody the Bear, and that's enough.
South African sea mines and anti-tank missiles...Israeli anti-aircraft missiles...perhaps some French anti-ship missiles.
Russia was tied up in neighboring Chechnya for years, with no one serious arming the Chechans. Georgia has mountains just like Chechnya, a more stable government, a more unified people, a larger economy, and powerful friends...as well as Iraq-War-battle-tested troops.
They'll do fine, especially with a little extra equipment.
No crying over how fast we are or aren't reacting needed.
Bush has charged headfirst into Liberia, disarmed Libya, ordered Syria out of Lebanon with a single bark, and smashed the Taliban in Afghanistan as well as killed al qaeda in Iraq.
He'll get the needed arms to Georgia.
Georgia can mobilize a million troops. Armed with modern missiles, they'll make Chechnya's anti-Russian efforts look trivial in comparison.
Actually he told the US Ambassador in Tbilisi that. I was at their home for a party one week later and it was passed on to me there. Just a tad far from Atlanta, sorry.
Well said. My solution as well. From your lips to the US white house ears.
The time line is the key. The Russian military almost certainly cannot react as fast as they did, with the volume of troops and ordnance, unless they were ready to roll beforehand.
No doubt, Russia armed the separatists.
You’re white Christians.
You deserve your genocide.
Have a nice day.
-your friends on the American left
I just got an email from a friend in Tbilisi.
"War is terrible. People are not in the panic, but in that district, where I live Russians bombed small military airdrome 2 times yesterday. They bomb all Georgia. They bombed block of flats, where pregnant lady and kids died.
Too aggressive country. And we try to fight with them and save our independence during three centuries!
Please, pray for the lives of children here. Every morning I go at work, I am not sure that I will see my kid in the evening, when I will come back home .
Love and light,
Nino"
We damn well better help em.
I should probably know that, but South Ossetia hasn’t been on my radar as well as it should have been.
If that is the cause for elevated military activity on the party of the Georgians, then Russia really doesn’t have a leg to stand on here.
These border issues are very tough to referee. Both sides generally have some points that are reasoned.
My gut instinct is to think Russia was the real problem here. I don’t like to get too deep into it, because you have to defend against border claims that go back hundreds if not thousands of years if you do.
I hope the hostilities are over very shortly.
Of course there are.But today,unlike 20...or even 10...years ago,the USSR is an economic power and supplies Europe with much of the oil and gas that it needs.Given how power hungry and fond of the "good old days" of the Soviet Union Vlad Putin is,economic sanctions could set into motion a chain of events that would be very damaging indeed.
IMO.
“Also those Russian columns appeared quite fast, surprisingly fast.”
Oh, no doubt the Russians had this well orchestrated to fire off during the Olympics.
The signs there are all in Georgian and English and they planted flowers to form an American flag in the main courtyard in Tbilisi.
They even named a street after President Bush.
Putin rightly reckoned the US wouldn’t have the stomach for another military engagement under Bush. Libs would be screaming for impeachment again.
It reminds me of WWII. Shortly after the "Breakout" in Normandy, de Gaulle demanded we rush the Army forward to Paris immediately to assist his forces because he was itching to attack Nazi troops in Paris ASAP. We told him to wait a few weeks. We had other fish to fry before we could enter Paris.
Did he wait? Hell, no. He attacked prematurely and lost lots of men because of it. 'Course, the a**hole always blamed us for those losses.
You want our help? You've got to consult and coordinate things with us first!
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