Georgia

[rob]

I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straight forward and trustworthy and we had a very good dialogue.

 

I was able to get a sense of his soul.

 

 

FAIL

[mtn_mouse]

I looked george bush in the eye, and his eyes were spinning. I got a sense of his insanity.

[akhalteke]

I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straight forward and trustworthy and we had a very good dialogue.

 

I was able to get a sense of his soul.

 

 

FAIL

 

that was fear talking.

[fear_and_greed]

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili should leave office and that Georgian troops should stay out of South Ossetia permanently.

 

Moscow will not talk to Saakashvili, Lavrov said; the best thing for Saakashvili to do "would be to step down."

 

No...They aren't seeking a regime change at all. I am sure this wasn't a ploy to put a Moscow-puppet leader in Georgia. They tried it with politics in Lithuania, they tried it with poison in Ukraine and now it is war in Georgia. I hate to think of what Russia will do to try and sway Eastern Germany back.

 

Funny,I don't recall ever hearing the phrase "regime change" before Bush Co. took over and started spouting off about it Iraq, Iran, N. Korea, et al.

 

And are events in Georgia any worse than the continued US support for 21st century apartheid in Gaza? Or orchestrating coups in Venzueula or invading Iraq? What about the puppet Hamid Karzai the current "President" of Afghanistan?

[akhalteke]

Yes. They are. Georgia is a democracy. Do you think that the puppet dictatorship that Putin will put in place would be better than an elected government which is still extremely popular?

 

-Gaza? Not a country.

 

-Venezuela. Dictatorial regime

 

-Iraq. Genocidal maniac.

 

-Afghanistan. Hmmm. Taliban or Karzai. Which one would I choose to lead me?

 

Georgia was vying for entrance into NATO with Ukraine. You really think it is comparing apples to apples when comparing them to Gaza?

 

Please cannuk, think hard and come back with something better.

[akhalteke]

...oh and they used to be called coups. Look it up. They have been around for a few years. Your commie buddies even had one. They called it a revolution.

[akhalteke]

...also, when did the US target civilian buildings with no military inside? These are the questions you need to ask yourself before running your suck and making your country look like a bunch of people that went to one year of college.

 

All the attitude and none of the education.

[akhalteke]

You must feel confident when the only Western political personality that even shows a sign of compassion for Russia is Burluscioni. Now there's a class act.

[akhalteke]

Fizzle or Bang... only time will decide.

 

Looking more like Bang

[Peter_Puget]

Media Bias Part XXXXXXII

[ZimZam]

PP that's Pravda not the liberal West media. My question is, "What was the Georgian government thinking?" Were they under the assumption that Putin et al wouldn't respond. David took on Goliath and got his ass handed to him. A classic example of not choosing one's battles wisely.

[akhalteke]

PP that's Pravda not the liberal West media. My question is, "What was the Georgian government thinking?" Were they under the assumption that Putin et al wouldn't respond. David took on Goliath and got his ass handed to him. A classic example of not choosing one's battles wisely.

 

You know little of Eastern European mindsets and politics. They envision is as their land (which indeed it is). With hostile forces invading their land under the guise of "peacekeepers" they had no other recourse in their minds. Of course, the timing is peculiar at best.

 

Georgia was also enabled by the West who it thought would come running to their aid. The only aid they have received is empty words.

[akhalteke]

Media Bias Part XXXXXXII

 

The piece “Stand up to Russia” was shown to me by a Russian friend, who asked me to reply in PRAVDA.Ru, which was quoted in this two-page schmuckfest of unadulterated bilge. It could almost have been printed by the British Bullshit Corporation or written by that other insolent female who got a Pulitzer. Max Boot, “Senior fellow in National Security Studies at the Council of Foreign Relations)” is the name of the author in this case.

 

...and given the wording in this piece, I am sure it is free of bias as well.

[ZimZam]

PP that's Pravda not the liberal West media. My question is, "What was the Georgian government thinking?" Were they under the assumption that Putin et al wouldn't respond. David took on Goliath and got his ass handed to him. A classic example of not choosing one's battles wisely.

 

You know little of Eastern European mindsets and politics. They envision is as their land (which indeed it is). With hostile forces invading their land under the guise of "peacekeepers" they had no other recourse in their minds. Of course, the timing is peculiar at best.

 

Georgia was also enabled by the West who it thought would come running to their aid. The only aid they have received is empty words.

Realpolitik?

[akhalteke]

No fucking shit.

[ZimZam]

def: politics based on practical and material factors rather than on theoretical or ethical objectives

[billcoe]

It ain't over till it's over and it's ain't over now.

[akhalteke]

or:

 

"Realpolitik (German: real ("realistic", "practical" or "actual") and politik ("politics")) refers to politics or diplomacy based primarily on practical considerations, rather than ideological notions. The term realpolitik is often used pejoratively to imply politics that are coercive, amoral, or Machiavellian. Realpolitik is a depiction of foreign policy that should be based on considerations of power, not ideals, morals, or principles. Henry Kissinger believed that this should be how the U.S. conducts foreign policy."

[ZimZam]

Their foray was neither realistic nor practical. Now their military is decimated, the autonomous regions have been essentially annexed, and they'll be expecting NATO (EU) to rebuild their infrastructure. Fat chance.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Their foray was neither realistic nor practical. Now their military is decimated, the autonomous regions have been essentially annexed, and they'll be expecting NATO (EU) to rebuild their infrastructure. Fat chance.

 

What exactly went out behind the scenes to make Russia pull out so quickly? I think the US threatened to immediately admit Ukraine into NATO.

[akhalteke]

Their foray was neither realistic nor practical. Now their military is decimated, the autonomous regions have been essentially annexed, and they'll be expecting NATO (EU) to rebuild their infrastructure. Fat chance.

 

Hind-sight is 20/20. Russia made a huge gamble doing what they did. They were opportunistic and gambled and won. Save Russia interveening, there is no reason why Georgia couldn't have retaken Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

 

Now, given the fact that the West is tied up in other conflicts, the timing seemed rather shitty for Georgia. They have had this dispute for what? 17 years? Why, now, would they do such a thing?

 

Perhaps Russia should finance the reconstruction. Seems like if they really wanted to just save the ethnic Russians, they would love to rebuild and give the areas' leadership somehting to work with.

[akhalteke]

Their foray was neither realistic nor practical. Now their military is decimated, the autonomous regions have been essentially annexed, and they'll be expecting NATO (EU) to rebuild their infrastructure. Fat chance.

 

What exactly went out behind the scenes to make Russia pull out so quickly? I think the US threatened to immediately admit Ukraine into NATO.

 

They haven't pulled out. They just said they did. There are still tanks in Georgia and planes doing bombing runs as of this morning.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Their foray was neither realistic nor practical. Now their military is decimated, the autonomous regions have been essentially annexed, and they'll be expecting NATO (EU) to rebuild their infrastructure. Fat chance.

 

Hind-sight is 20/20. Russia made a huge gamble doing what they did. They were opportunistic and gambled and won. Save Russia interveening, there is no reason why Georgia couldn't have retaken Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

 

Now, given the fact that the West is tied up in other conflicts, the timing seemed rather shitty for Georgia. They have had this dispute for what? 17 years? Why, now, would they do such a thing?

 

Perhaps Russia should finance the reconstruction. Seems like if they really wanted to just save the ethnic Russians, they would love to rebuild and give the areas' leadership somehting to work with.

 

Russia instigated the whole incident. "Concern" for "ethnic Russians" is just a bullshit propaganda. They manufacture these "concerns" to support aggression against their neighbors.

[akhalteke]

I agree, but Georgia gave them an excuse and they (Putin) ran with it. You want to talk realpolitik zim zam? Definition.

 

It is clear that you cannot give Putin and inch politically. He will take a kilometer for every one you give him.

 

I would like to see some military presence in Georgia from the west. Nothing offensive, but a large peacekeeping force of marines and rangers that are ordered to put-down any hostilities witnessed.

 

This would be the ideal solution (at least temporarily). Since Russia doesn't want to honor their obligations under a cease fire, we can help them do that.

 

 

[Jim]

Right. Who would take that offer. We certainly can afford none - we're overstretched. Heck, we can't even get more NATO troops in Afganistan. Good reason to keep your powder dry and not going off on half cocked mideast adventures.