Posted on 08/26/2008 6:51:58 AM PDT by maquiladora
Just hours before Russia escalated the crisis by recognising the independence of two separatist Georgian provinces, Mr Saakashvili said Russian forces had advanced to the strategic Akhalgori heights 10 miles from Tbilisi.
He warned that Georgia would respond with force if its capital was attacked and told the West to act more forcefully against Russian aggression.
"They are trying to take the heights of Akhalgori," he told reporters at a briefing this morning. "This is the most worrying thing at the moment. They would be within 20km of Tbilisi.
"We are in a very precarious situation."
The president said that the West now had to act meaningfully to stop Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, from heightening the crisis still further.
"Some people in the West have been in denial for a long time," he said. "Now there can be no more denial.
"The West has to show that this will cost them - really cost them. You are dealing with bullies here and bullies do not understand the tender message."
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
What do you make of this? Seems to have come out of nowhere...
The West’s hesitation to lift a finger should frighten our weaker allies. Can Israel expect greater help from us than Georgia got? I rather doubt it.
Very interesting article which notes some developments I was not aware of:
“The development came as two US warships headed towards the Georgian Black Sea port of Poti, which remains ringed by Russian troops in contravention of the terms of the truce brokered by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president.
While ostensibly on a humanitarian mission to deliver aid supplies, the presence of an American destroyer armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles has enraged the Kremlin.”
******
The only US destroyer I was aware of had already docked at Batumi (sp?) with a load of humanitarian supplies. I was not aware any destroyers were headed to Poti where it appears the Russians are dug in and I believe there are also Russian boats around the port. Which the following would indicate is true:
“The Russian cruise ship the Moskva, which had been deployed off the Georgian coastline during the five-day war, was seen leaving the Crimean naval base of Sevastopol, headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
Early reports indicated that the Moskva was sailing south, possibly towards Poti - “ raising the possibility of a naval face-off between the United States and Russia for the first time since the Cold War.”
*******
If the following is true this thing is getting ready to escalate dramatically:
Mr Saakashvili said Russian forces had advanced to the strategic Akhalgori heights 10 miles from Tbilisi.
He warned that Georgia would respond with force if its capital was attacked and told the West to act more forcefully against Russian aggression.”
******
Possibly the reason for the movement of the destroyers to Poti, to show the Russians the situation is being monitored?
The Steam Roller is turning again.
Assuming the picture relates to the story, it appears that there is a Russian paratroop unit moving at will in central Georgia. My feeling is that they are trying to provoke the Georgians into attacking them so they can call Russian heavy forces down on the Georgians again. Note that it was Russian paratroops that took the Georgians prisioner in the port of Poti last week (along with seizing U.S. HMMWVs awaiting shipment back to Germany). Note also that it is Russian paratroops that are currently controlling the bridge entry point to Poti. Paratroop units are normally a nationally-controlled asset. So you have to wonder who is giving them direction to make these moves.
BTW, it is a U.S. Coast Guard cutter that will be entering Poti to land humanitarian supplies. USS McFall, the destroyer who landed supplies in another port to the south last week, will remain at sea outside the harbor providing cover.
This could get very interesting.
Akhalgori is a part of South Ossetia.
http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/f/f6/SouthOssetia_region_detailed_map.JPG
Since the Russians have recognized the South Ossetia breakaway status, they feel this gives them cover to be at the Akhalgori heights.
“Hey, we’re not in Georgia, we’re in South Ossetia!”
Yup. Bait.
At what point do other countries start helping America? At what point do other countries start helping themselves? Americans are told over and over not to expect help from their government, yet the same people who say this, continually demands our government help other countries.
You know, there were a series of provocative attacks against Georgian forces inside South Ossetia in August immediately PRIOR to the 7 August Georgian attack.
I wonder if Russian paratroops had any part in those attacks? Are they Russian paratroops or just other Russians dressed to look like them? Hmmm....
There are at least three NATO frigates on the way to assist with the humaniterian relief effort. One German, one Spanish, and one Polish.
IOW, help is on the way.
The Georgians themselves supplied 2,000 troops to help in Iraq, the third largest MNF contingent, about 5% of their total military forces. This at a time when they had Russian "peacekeepers" on their borders and even inside their internationally recognized borders. Now those troops have been recalled, and were transported home by US aircraft.
Fixed gun emplacements ...
how medieval.
Yet these very same people are the first ones to demand that our government aid and assist every other country on this planet.
It's also much farther away than 10 miles, or 20 km, from Tblisi. The town of Akhalgori and the Akhalgori Heights are not the same thing, even though they are near each other. Any more thant the San Gabriel Mountains and the city of San Gabriel California are.
There are numerous US strategic interests involved with Georgia. For starters, if we lose our Caucasus air travel rights, supplying our troops in Afghanistan is significantly more difficult. The only way to get to Afghanistan then would be flying over either Pakistan or Iran. Russia is striking precisely at our logistical weak spot. Not to mention the oil or natural gas pipelines.
Yet these very same people are the first ones to demand that our government aid and assist every other country on this planet.
There are numerous US strategic interests involved with Georgia
Well sure, I guess you could come up with strategies and interest in Outer Mongolia, Red China, Cuba, and the Falkland Islands.
No strategies or interests in America or it's people? No strategy or interest in securing our borders and sovereignty during war time no less? No strategies or interest when it comes to less intrusive, ever expanding punitive government here at home?
How come you and this government are so concerned with the strategy and interest of all these other countries around the globe, as our own country becomes a lawless cesspool of illegal aliens, that are literally compromising and undermining every aspect of our society?
How come it's liberal and socialist to request government aid or help here at home, yet it's conservative to demand government aid and help for those in other countries?
Why did you change the subject ? I think our borders should have been closed tight a couple of years ago. Its the Rinos, Dinos and Linos that think otherwise. Are you willing to forfeit Afghanistan and the International War on Terror ?
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