[Tommyjo]

They won’t secure Georgia, but simply the areas around the disputed regions. It will probably be an initial NATO or EUFOR but will probably end up under the U.N. The U.N. currently have a buffer zone/region in Abkhazia. All they will be doing is keeping the peace between Georgians and Russian forces. Think of it as like the Green line that is currently in Cyprus except on two fronts.

[jhpigott]

CNN reporting that Russian planes are still bombing.

[hellbender]

The Soviet (er..Russian) objectives were never to merely "protect" S. Ossetia and Abkhazia. That was simply a pretext for emplacing the advance elements of an invasion of Georgia. Georgia's military has been crushed, it's govt. will be replaced by a docile one like that of "neutral" Finland during the Cold War, or else an outright puppet like those of Communist E. Europe. The Russians will be able to move from their enclaves to control the pipeline any time they choose.

It's similar to the way the U.S. maintains bases and forces in other countries, as a springboard for possible action. We do not control or occupy Korea, Japan, Germany, etc. but we do not want them in hostile hands.

As for U.N. peacekeeping forces, they are a joke, as Rwanda and Lebanon show.