Readers’ Responses to Our Question (44)

President Saakashvili made a massive mistake attacking South Ossetia. The lightning response by the Russians to the Georgian attack was clearly a well planned military operation, and a premeditated invasion of Georgia. The Israeli-Lebanon war in 2006 was provoked by a much smaller incident, so Saakashvili knowingly risked a war (Georgia couldn’t win) by attacking Russian peacekeepers(?) and civilians. Saakashvili most certainly should have known that even if democratic Georgia was a member of NATO, the US would not go to war with Russia.

None the less, the US and the EU have many options available to counter Russia’s invasion including the removal of Russia from the G-8, boycotting the 2014 Olympics in Russia, excluding Russia from the WTO, etc. Additionally, any change in Georgia’s leadership and territorial integrity (current international border), including the succession of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, should not be recognized by the US and EU.

Fifteen countries gained their independence when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Many of those countries have become members of the EU and NATO. Their fear of a resurgent Russia has now been confirmed. No one can blame the Ukraine and Georgia - both bordering Russia - for seeking membership in NATO and the EU in light of Russia’s resurgent nationalism under the guidance of Russia’s newest czar, Putin.

Putin called the collapse of the Soviet Union ‘the greatest geopolitical catastrophe’ of the twentieth century. Russia, a nuclear superpower, has been embarrassed by former satellite states joining NATO and the EU, opposes the US-inspired installation of a missile defense system in Poland and strongly opposed the independence of separatist Kosovo from the former Soviet-block country of Yugoslavia - the same rationale used by the Russians to defend South Ossetia.

Under Putin’s leadership, Russia has begun to reassert herself. At various times, they have cut off energy supplies to the Ukraine and Georgia (terrorist sabotage of pipeline - or Russian(?)), conducted cyber-attacks against Estonia and Georgia (as recently as July of this year) and have attempted to intimidate countries such as the Ukraine from joining NATO - a major reason for the invasion of Georgia. In addition, Putin wants to install a Russia-friendly regime in Georgia. Simply put, Putin has used energy blackmail and intimidation to reassert Russian domination in her own neighborhood as well as challenge the US on the world stage. There is no question that Putin would dearly love to bring back the Soviet empire.

NATO should not be deterred by the aggressive Russian leadership. NATO should extend an invitation to Ukraine and Georgia for membership (if that is what the majority of their population desires). All former Russian client states have the right to join NATO and the EU, and the premeditated invasion of Georgia is a primary reason why NATO is such a popular option for former Russian satellite countries.

None of this, however, justifies the attack against civilians by Georgia - an irrational attack against a Georgian separatist region protected by a far superior military power.

It's been a long time now and it will take longer. Avoid ugly places, avoid Russia when at all possible. Glad to be in America the beautiful. I can't contain myself, for I have known love and long to live in freedom.

"It was when I was happiest that I longed most...The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing...to find the place where all the beauty came from."
--Till We Have Faces

The eastern problems of europe always disturb the peace of the world.This problem of east is lies in the nationalism of europe.First they broken the entire europe on the basis of foe and friend based on nantionalism. The question of serb remain the same through out the century.This nationalism led the destruction of europe in two world wars .Millions of people and property were destroyed to strenthened the root of nationalism.But european leaders failed to sto the bloodshed in europe.They worked on two fronts.one they satred their march against the unity of europena nations and second their effort to save europe from further wars.with the passage of time they abled to do.
But Afghanistan debacle led the Russian 150 years effort to bring central asian nations under direct control of Moscow failed.And the countries were noe other than europe and America.which were saved by Russia in world war.
with fall of russia strenghthened the postion of eorupe and America in world poltics.particuary europe got second place after world war second.

rusia under putin restrutured the Russian politics and economy and again emerged the major power of world politics.the energy crisis and the vast resources of central asian nations and cacaus region put european and American allies to come more close to the boarder of russia.for the interest of America and europe a strong russia is not acceptable.
Russia after seeing the preimpretive strike of America against Afghanistan and Iraq and allies share in Iraq loot by sidelining the Russian interest,started the have to say of Russian power from time to time.The nuclear deal of India and America was a last knell in Russian economic interest.NATO expansion in eastern region was direct security interest to Russia.And Russian after emerging again a power tried to assert his position and was waiting for the chance and when Georgia provided chance in osse region Russia showed his might.Russian leaders wanted to finish this ally of west from future danger and eliminate the security threat in term of NATO membership of this nation.
The great game theory of central Asian nation already forced the American to exit from kazkhistan.Now Russian alredy feel that in the name of terrorism American and europena capturing the energy sources and strategic places to counter the Russian and chinese menance.
Afhter georgia now russia is not going to stop and the policy will be
1 direct interfernce in Afghanistan by patronizinf Taliban as America did in Russian time.this will be more dangerous to America than the georgian episode.
2 russian close ties with Islamic world.the postion of American and allies so critical that russia will have a position in nations and people particularly.
3 support to Iran against tussle in nuclear deal
4 close relation with china to block the USA move in UNO.
5 Proving the statement of American leaders hoax e.g. American lesson to russian leaders for attack on georgia a free nation and Russian leaders on American attack on free Iraq

6 Russian policy to block the American entry in central Asia with help of china.
7.if Russia got the friendship of taliban and ISI no American power will stay in Afghanistan for longer and America will also leave as Russian left
so we can say Russian will not try to get old empire but a new russian dominance in more friendly way.

Last few days developments proved that the russians played a winning move.

So far we have seen some very strog statements emerged from US Administration and the president. Surprisingly US allies prefered to look somewhere else.And the Russians keep on doing what they like to do.

They are not going to stay in Georgia. They have learnt a bitter lesson earlier. But they have given a strong message to all their former states that where the power lies.

For the time being the business will be as usual but future Nato strtategies will have a definate change.

There is going to be a little ease in middle east where the players will try to reset their pawns on new developments.

A very common strategy in chess. Once your opponent is concentrating on one end then try to move a pawn to other end.

There is a thought that has been puzzling me for a while. I’ve been reading about the comparison between the rhetoric of Iran’s mullahs and Germany’s pre-war advances for at least couple of years now. Never mind that I couldn’t find a single Panzer unit anywhere on Iranian territory or any military industrial capacity comparable to even the smallest of the western powers; but yet anywhere you look in the media, negotiation with Iran is called a naivety comparable to Chamberlain’s appeasement of Hitler.

Why nobody is comparing Putin’s behavior to the Hitler’s advancements before WWII broke out? If Russia is attacking Georgia in support of 70,000 Ottessians of which 30,000 have already left for mother Russia, what would they do when Ukraine’s Russians that constitute 40% of the population feel unappreciated!? Did I just hear that Poland is going to be punished for signing the agreement with America? Is Rice another Neville Chamberlain? No one is suggesting that, but should they?

Or may be these comparisons are useful only when they can confuse the issue!

"US warns Russia over Georgia crisis..."

Meanwhile, we are shown pictures of Georgian victims of Russian barbarians.... nothing compared to Iraqi and Afghan innocent, civilian victims, following our indiscriminate bombings, including with depleted uranium (a taboo, so no one will even dare mention!).

In that context, and with hundreds of US and Israeli "advisors" in Georgia, the current anti-Russian propaganda campaign is simply revolting!!!

Unfortunately, citizens in this country do not have anymore what it takes to revolt. --- Poor sheepish lot!

Slaves!! Despicable slaves!!!

By using commonsene we all realize that:

IT IS VERY HARD AND VERY TIME CONSUMMING TO CREATE AND BUILD UP A GOOD REPUTATION AND GOOD IMAGE WITH THE WORLD!
BUT IS IS VERY EASILY AND VERY QUICKLY TO DESTROY THE REPUTATION AND GOOD IMAGE BUILT FROM SEVERAL YEARS WITH THE WORLD!

IN THE CASE OF RUSSIA! THIS LAND IS FULL WITH THE STUPID ASSHOLAS SUCH AS PUTIN AND HIS PUPPET PRESIDENT AND THEIR KGB MURDERERS!
THESE STUPID ASSHOLAS CAN ONLY STUPIDLY DESTROY THEIR OWN NATION IN TERM OF TRASHING THE IMAGE AND REPUTATION OF THEIR OWN RUSSIA!

SO
THE WORLD HAS SEEN THE STUPID RUSSIANS HAVE UNITED THEMSELVES TO DESTROY THEIR OWN NATION'S REPUTATION AND VALUE IN THE EYES OF THE 6.9 BILLIONS WORLD CITIZENS!

AS COMMONLY SEEING, RUSSIA ALWAYS BEHAVES AS THE MINDLESS, VIOLENT, DANGEROUS, WORLD MOST HARMFUL NATION IN DOING HARMS TO SO MANY NATIONS! THIS IS PROVEN FACT AS ALL EASTERN EUROPEAN NATIONS ARE ALL SEEING RUSSIA AS THE MOST HARMFUL AND VIOLENT BASTARD AND RUSSIA THEREFORE HAS ONLY ONE FRIEND TO BE AS ITS ALLY THAT IS ITS OWN RUSSIA!
FORTUNATELY, THE ENTIRE WORLD HAS DISCOVERED THAT ONLY RUSSIA HAS DESTROYED ITSELF! ONLY RUSSIA HAS CONTAINED ITSELF! IN OTHER WORDS, RUSSIA IS NOW THE VERY LONELY NATION IN THIS PLANET EARTH! ALL NATIONS IN THIS WORLD ARE SHYING AWAY AND SHUT OFF THEIR DOORS WHEN SEE THE MURDEROUS RUSSIA APPROACHING!
THEY ALL ALARM TOGETHER THAT 'RUSSIANS ARE COMING! RUSSIANS ARE COMING! OR SICKENED AND MINDLESS WOLVES ARE COMING TO BRING DISEASES AND HARMS TO THEM!

SO
WE MAY ALL AGREED AND CONCLUDING AS:
"NO ONE ARE SO HARMFUL TO RUSSIA THAN ITS OWN PUTIN! AND ITS OWN RUSSIAN STUPID ASSHOLAS!
NO ONE CAN DESTROY RUSSIA MORE THAN ITS OWN MINDLESS BARBAROUS RUSSIAN ASSHOLAS!

This post is directed to the moderator and the Washington Post in general. While it is true there has been a great deal of news to report coming out of China, Russia, and Georgia, I am very dissapointed that the Post has not run one single article on the Referendum that occurred in Bolivia this past Sunday.

Ironically enough, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette which some would consider a much less prestigous paper did choose to run a story about the referendum. For some reason Latin America often gets ignored in the press although it is closer than any other continent.

For anyone following Latin American politics the outcome of this referendum in Bolivia has very strong implications for the power and influence of leftist goverments in Latin America. Unfortunately by the time anyone in the US will bother to take notice of what is ocurring in Bolivia and Ecuador under the influence of Venezuela it may be far too late for far too many people. Wake up America! Wake up Washington Post!

rotten-world: You posted "THEREFORE, THE WORLD MUST SET UP A LAW AS ANY NATION INVADE ANOTHER NATION WILL BE SENTENCED BY ACCEPTING 100 NUCLEAR BOMBS TO BOMBARD THE INVADER AND THIS MOST EFFECTIVE LAW WILL BE APPLICABLE TO ANY NATION IN THIS WORLD!"

I can't wait to hear your opinions of the US invasion of Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Panama, Grenada ...

Messine, AMviennaVA is quite correct. NATO membership contains a "poison pill" for anyone even contemplating attacking them; every other NATO member is obligated to come to their defense. If Russia attacked a NATO member, it would trigger an immediate and all out military response from the US, UK, Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, and every other NATO member. That might only take the *initial* form of military planes and ships and troops delivering equipment and supplies, but you could be sure that all of those would form a sacrificial line that would trigger an overwhelming response. Even a complete nut like Putin wouldn't throw the dice at attacking a NATO member.

Fortunately, neither Georgia nor the Ukraine are NATO members. Georgia's leadership is obviously incompetent - why else would they start a war against Russia! If Georgia had been admitted into NATO last Spring, we would be at war now! Lucky for us that the Europeans kept someone as unstable as Saakashvili out. We (in the US) are very unfortunate in that we have an administration that cannot keep a two-bit player like him in check.

As for the Ukraine, its population is 40% ethnic Russian. Those who want to use the Ukraine to 'contain' Russia are apparently ignorant of the dynamics of demographics. Just as the Shia in Iraq are friendly towards Iran, whatever we may say, the Russians in the Ukraine are friendly towards Russia.

It is past time to make Georgia and the Ukraine NATO members. Bush favored this but the Europeans nixed it.When Europe finds its cojones things may improve,but I am not holding my breath. I am afraid that Europe will not find anything but its effete foreign policy.Which of the two candidates alligns himself with the European effetism-then you will know who to vote for in our presidential elections.

How about a discussion about how to 'contain' America?? Just last month, Condi Rice was spewing something about protecting American interests in the gulf, to warn Iran!! How about them donuts??

Here the Russian interests are at stake. Why this lopsided discussion? and condescending position?

browneri - What you say about the U.S.'s invading tiny little defenseless countries is entirely true. The right wing impotent fraternity types that compose much of the Republican crowd often make huge mistakes like that. That is precisely why we need to elect a President with some moral authority like Barak Obama. All of that said, there is an enormous difference between our invasion of Iraq and Russia's invasion of Georgia. Saddam Hussein had killed tens of thousands of civilian's, including Kurdish people in an area of that country under U.S. protect. Iraq had invaded and looted Kuwait, torched it's oil fields, and had to be dislodged used military force. Iraq had engaged in wars with neighboring countries and had actually used poson gas. Saddam Hussein had actually engaged in plots, had engaed soldiers, men on the ground, to assassinate President's Bush (the elder) and Clinton. None of that may excuse W's invasion of Iraq, but unless you are being really dishonest, you have to admit that is a far cry from the sort of bullying and raw violence of the Russian invasion of a peaceful democracy like Georgia.

to William :

How do you mean:
"the Georgians tried to meet the Russians headon"????

Georgia attacked Tskhinvali when there was just a limited number of Russian forces there. It badly damaged the town, and made quite a lot of casualties. When the Russian army went in, the Georgians retreated.

Russia may be the son of an evil empire, but it is not wise, nor ethical, to come to the support of a leader who sent its army into Ossetia and shot a town to pieces.

While Russia is the bully to Georgia, Georgia is the bully to the South-Ossetians.

to Ignatius: your second question seems to imply that your first question is not a question at all, but that you have already made up your mind.

Russia is a bit of a weak spot in the US media. When the Soviet empire imploded in the 1980s, we found that all that weaponry, we went into an arms race for, was rusty and obsolete. There seems to be the same irrational fear in these times. Russia is an important regional power. That is, regional. China is a world power. Russia has had elections, how imperfect they may have been. Do not forget that even before communism, Russia used to be a authoritarian state. China still is.

Contain Russia? Yes, of course. After all, Russia has not behaved better in Chechnya than Georgia has in South-Ossetia.

But do it at a time of genuine provocations coming from it. A Georgian military intervention in the former autonomous South-Ossetia (why hasn't anybody called Saakasvili's action disproportinate yet?), is hardly the right pretext to bash Russia!

It has never been and never will be possible to "contain" one country without applying the same rules to every country. This discussion as framed is pointless and irrelevant to the real world situation.

In the last 30 years the United States has invaded 3 sovereign nations: Grenada, Panama, and Iraq killing thousands of people in the process. It's something superpowers do when they feel that their interests are threatened. Let's be real.

Anonymous (Russian) poster - The headlines in U.S. newspapers today is that Russia has already violated the truce. There are eye witness accounts of convoys of tanks and trucks, thousands of Russian soldiers, entering Georgia and taking control. We saw the same thing when the Nazi's (and, later, Russia) moved into Poland and Austria and Czechoslovakia. There are confirmed reports of Russian irregulars rounding up civilian's, separating men from women, arrests, and there are some unconfirmed reports of mass executions. Bloomberg and several other media outlets are reporting Russian troop buildups along your border with the Ukraine, another potential NATO member. If the cowards at the Bush White House are to have any credibility, they will have let Russia know that a strike against Ukraine will prompt a military retaliation from the U.S. and a strike against any present NATO member (like Poland or the Czech Republic) will spark an all out war.

Most of us, even liberals like myself, have long thought that Putin is a dangerous thug bent on re-establishing the old Soviet Union. We WILL NOT tolerate any territorial grabs, actively urge our government to use military force to prevent that even if it means war. The Russian people have got to be made to understand that blindly following this deranged fool will spark a war with the U.S. and the West that will result in your complete and total destruction. For all of their over use of diplomacy, having lived in Europe, let me assure you that the vast majority of European citizens feels precisely the same way.

What we need to do is to help train countries like the Ukrane in the use of Iraqi insurgent tactics.

The Russians were very lucky that instead of using IEDs, short sharp ambushes, and armor penetrators, the Georgians tried to meet the Russians headon. It was stupid to try and directly stop a larger and better armed foe.

A switch to Iraqi insurgent tactics will cause the Russians to think long and hard before attacking again. The Russians remember Afghistan. Putin will quickly sour his popularity if he causes large numbers of full body bags to return to mother Russia.

Yellow journalism has prevailed in this country since the late 1980's. Most of the media was complicit or intimidated into silence during the leadup to the invasion of Iraq. Freedom of the press is of little value when most of the media practices self-censorship or goes along with government propaganda.

The media generally gives obsessive coverage to trivial stories, while usually ignoring or giving little attention to important subjects, such as health care and serious energy policies. Coupled with neo-cons and extreme nationalists taking over many media outlets, including this paper, no wonder media coverage of foreign events is so shallow and inaccurate.

Are washington post staff crazy,you want to contain
a country which fight a small border war.How about a country send its army 1800 km away to fight and subject a country (yes it is the USA)
the washington post staff could insult themself but should not insult its reader.

Are washington post staff crazy,you want to contain
a country which fight a small border war.How about a country send its army 1800 km away to fight and subject a country (yes it is the USA)
the washington post staff could insult themself but should not insult its reader.

With all of the problems we have in this country, why would anyone think we need to concern ourselves with "containing" Russia? Why would any intelligent person be worried about what's happening in someone's house across town when their own house is crumbling? Seriously, unless we think Russia is going to invade and conquer us, I think we have many, many, many more pressing issues with which we need to concern ourselves other than "containing" some other nation.

At the core of political power is economics: it makes the building and purchase of military equipment and the training and arming of warriors. Putin has oil and gas. This weapon is held over European strategy and tactical responses.
Without the West in unity with emergency investment in implimentation of non-fossil fuel energy and a direct re-direction of trade away from Russia combined with a complete freeze in trade of materials and items that might be of technical military use, there can be no blunting of "Re-Sovietization" of Russia...and its Political Mafia will expand its power politics by any means possible and sometimes, by any means necessary.
NATO must advance its military preparations and assert its force in the field. Stalin once said the essential psychological underpinning of Putin leverage: "How many divisions do they have?" NATO must field these armored and special forces divisions now at the same time that at new 21st Century Energy platform be built in the entire West with the seriousness of efforts made via the Marshall Plan...now, not later. And guess what, one of the first demonstrations the US can made is to pull out its technology from the guts of that metal trash can in space: the Joint Space station: bring it down.

Singh - Those "gags" of Indian workers take jobs from American's in my country. Most of those workers sell themselves into indentured servitude for the free training a few years working here provides. The result has been to discourage American college students from majoring in the sciences, engineering, computer science, and now even some branches of medicine. Over 90% of new engineering hires are H1-B workers. At the same same time, half of U.S. engineers cannot find work. Given the aging trends and the fact that American's are now actively discouraged from going into engineering, the trend is for us to be completely dependent on Indian, Chinese, and other engineering talent in about four years. Then, we will have become a "service based economy", a sweat shop of cheap labor for the emerging economies of Asia.

Again, and I want it understood clearly and plainly, India guest workers are a national security nightmare and a danger to the continued survival of the U.S., to our way of life, and to the well being of our citizens. India is of far greater danger and even more a danger than Al Qaida or North Korea or Iran. None of those could destroy us, but India, if allowed, most surely will.

George Bush's victory in Iraq has spawned an imitator in Putin.

Putin understands that Iraq has cemented american hegemony over the Gulf, and with it over much of the world. He who controls your oil supply controls you.

So now by blocking (soon enough)the alternative route for oil from the Azerbaijani fields thru Georgia, Russia now controls all overland supply routes to Europe for oil and gas. This is the beginning of a second phase of russian dominance over europe.

Anyone wish to place betting odds on any more european unilateraist foreign policy adventures, ala Iraq? All those eurodecadent left wingers who so derided blair as bush's poodle will soon enough learn to bark.

Too many people are choosing to ignore the essential fact: Georgia started it. They broke a cease fire just hours after it was concluded. The scale of the Georgian assault shows that the cease fire was a rouse. A two-bit idiot, Saakashvili, started a war and tried to level the capital of S.Ossetia. I am sure he thought that the US/UK would stand by him. He knows otherwise. By now it is obvious that noone in his right mind will believe anything he says. He has also proven that it would have been the height of stupidity for NATO to have let Georgia in. (As an aside, it is sorry to consider the incompetence of an administration that cannot control a two-bit player like that).

The whole affair is very sad and thousands have been killed and made refugees.

But, Georgia started it.

First a joke

West again start pampering taliban to provide manpower for the resistance movement to fight the communist which are supposed to be non believers and stay with the freinds who have the holy book .In this connection a meeting with the old freinds like Hekmatyar in white house will be very fruitful.

Now serios point is that after a decade Russia is back again in the game. Today in Georgia russia repeating what it did in sixties .Started with Yogoslavia they were moving slowly in east and west Africa and finally afghanistan.

Now Russians believe that the time is now in their side and they can enforce their fort once again. According to their calculation the world will watch quitely as a in house problem. US and NATO will not go beyond verbal ssaults and they will start building their reputaton once again.

The world right now have no alternate accept to denounce the use of force in each and every part of the world . they should at one voice ask for the stop of human rights abuse in the name of politics and national interests by all groups and countries.

An update (or how we are spending or how we have spent USA taxpayers’ money to eliminate global terror and aggression)

Contemporary terror and aggression via a Partial and Recent Body Count

1) Assassination of Benazir Bhutto

2) 9/11, 3000 mostly US citizens, 1000’s injured

3) The 24/7 Sunni-Shiite centuries-old blood feud currently being carried out in Iraq, 4,142 US troops (3,366 combat, 776 non-combat) and 86,136 – 93,995 Iraqi civilians
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/casualty.pdf

http://www.iraqbodycount.org/

4) Kenya- In Nairobi, about 212 people were killed and an estimated 4000 injured; in Dar es Salaam, the attack killed at least 11 and wounded 85.[2]

5) Bali-in 2002-killing 202 people, 164 of whom were foreign nationals, and 38 Indonesian citizens. A further 209 people were injured.

6) Bali in 2005- Twenty people were killed, and 129 people were injured by three bombers who killed themselves in the attacks.

7) Spain in 2004- killing 191 people and wounding 2,050.

8) UK in 2005- The bombings killed 52 commuters and the four radical Islamic suicide bombers, injured 700.

Other elements of our War on Terror:

1. Saddam, his sons and major henchmen have been deleted. Saddam's bravado about WMD was one of his major mistakes.

2. Iran is being been contained. (beside containing the Sunni-Shiite civil war in Baghdad, that is the main reason we are in Iraq. And yes, essential oil continues to flow from the region.)

3. Libya has become almost civil. Apparently this new reality from an Islamic country has upset OBL and his “crazies” as they recently threatened Libya. OBL sure is a disgrace to the world especially the Moslem world!!! or is he???

3. North Korea is still uncivil but is contained. With the opening up of rail traffic between North and South Korea after 50 years and with the assistance of the US Navy in retrieving NK ships and personnel, a fresh sense of civility is afoot.

4. NK has finally started to destroy in nuclear weapons’ capabilities.

5. Northern Ireland is finally at peace.

6. The Jews and Palestinians are being separated by walls. Hopefully the walls will follow the 1948 UN accords and the Annapolis Peace Conference is at least somewhat successful.

7. Bin Laden has been cornered under a rock in Western Pakistan since 9/11.

8. Fanatical Islam has basically been contained to the Middle East but a wall between India and Pakistan would be a plus for world peace. Ditto for a wall between Afghahistan and Pakistan.

9.Timothy McVeigh was executed. Terry Nichols will follow soon.

10. Eric Rudolph is spending three life terms in prison with no parole.

11. Jim Jones, David Koresh, Kaczynski, the "nuns" from Rwanda, and the KKK were all dealt with and either eliminated themselves or are being punished.

12. Islamic Sudan, Darfur and Somalia are still terror hot spots.

13. The terror and torture of Muslims in Bosnia, Kosovo and Kuwait were ended by the proper application of the military forces of the USA and her freedom-loving friends. Radovan Karadzic was finally captured on 7/23/08 and is charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the law of war -- charges related to the 1992-1995 civil war that followed Bosnia-Herzegovina's secession from Yugoslavia.

14. And of course the bloody terror brought about the Japanese, Nazis and Communists was with great difficulty eliminated by the good guys.

While we consider these two questions, we must also notice the kind of coverage this conflict is getting from the press including washingtonpost.com. I believe it is the kind of shallow and irresponsible phrasing of issues and questions that got us into the war in Iraq. While it’s understandable that the press will always prop up the national interests of the host country, these days one cannot help but cringe at the type of yellow journalism, naïve thinking and clearly biased coverage we get from the old press. By the way your panel doesn’t help, but only is the clear illustration of it.
If one has any knowledge about the breakup of the Soviet Union and the events in that region they know that Georgia has acted as a loose cannon for decades. If international system does place a value on certain criteria, it would be predictability of your opponents’ actions, especially in the age of nuclear weapons.
People around the world are not as naïve as some politician and journalist tend to think. If you know the facts on the ground, you know that any other Russian response would be possible maybe ten years ago, but not these days. Protecting its own citizens and troops is not a sin, but a virtue. U.S. is also behaving in a predictable manner by trying to create a thorn in the Russian side. What is completely incomprehensible is the strategic approach of Saakashvili. Wish full thinking is not reality.

Every time a politician claims America's "moral leadership," it makes me retch. I see Cheney in a miter, poison phial up his sleeve, posturing his way through every oil-sensitive corner of the world, ever happy to contribute more American kids to his crusade. The same pious end-of-history types who note the quaintness of spheres-of-influence thinking will be the first to thump Chavez if he ever actually tips the strategic balance, let alone attacks an American naval vessel. We've choked on our own psycho-strategic rhetoric. A good dose of real politik is in order. Does anyone think we have a presidential candidate who actually understands this?

It's amusing isn't it when USA gets paid back in the same thuggish style championed by Bush/Cheney junta. Bush/Cheney/McCain are complaining about Russia launching a 5-day long military action on their border against a tiny nation propped up by Bush-Cheney regime to provoke the bear.. Total # people killed claimed by the Georgians <2000; Russia has declared a cease-fire, and as of today no Russian troops are in Georgia except S. Ossetia where with an agreement with EU nations, Russia had peace-keeping forces for more than two years. Compare that to US naked invasion, occupation and destruction of Iraq over the last five years: about 300,000 Iraqis dead and hundreds more dying each month, more than 2.5 million refugees; 140,000 US troops stationed all over Iraq with numerous airbases being used for launching daily bombing attacks on civilians by helicopter gunships and fighter jets.. Bush/Cheney/McCain vow that US troops will remain in Iraq for decades more!! Who is the imperial thug intimidating powerless nations: USA or Russia.. Based on above mentioned facts, decide for yourself!

Russia is playing us for hypocrites. They accused the Georgians of ethnic cleansing, which is the excuse NATO and the US used to bomb Russia's Serbian Allies. NATO and US support for Georgia plus the recent talk about placing missile sites in Poland and the Czech Republic is all too much for the russians who like to have a little buffer around them. And to remind us of the cold war quid pro quo that kept us out of thermonuclear war they have started strategic bombing drills again and renewed military ties to Cuba. You cannot say we haven't given them plenty of reasons to fall back to the cold war mentality. Except its about the energy gap not the missile gap this time. Controlling Georgia, gives Russia complete control of gas and oil pipelines linking Kazakhstan, Iran and its own extensive production to European customers. Add war in the Persian Gulf and the russians would be kings of the world. We on the other hand would be unable to fuel our cars, produce our food, or even meet our electrical power needs. The russians are aware of this vulnerability and grow more confident every day.

Well it appears this is one act of terror and aggression that cannot be blamed on the "Islamics".

One wonders though if there is a religious underpinning is this whole sorry episode.

Georgia orthodox vs. Russian Orthodox?

Or is there an oil and/or natural gas pipeline and oil reserves underpinning another sorry episode?

Or is it simply discrimination on the part of Georgia against an area not willing to be part of the "new" Georgia?

What's to contain? I don't see where they did anything wrong.

Georgia agressively attacked a region friendly to Russia, and filled with ethnic Russians. The results were entirely predictable.

I expect Russia will put a severe hurt on whoever hosts a missile system on their borders too, and who can blame them?

Do you think we would have a problem if they put one up in Cuba?

If the world wants to contain Russia, then let the world do it. We are too stupid and going too broke to worry about.

As long as they can blow up the world and we can blow up the world, we should just smile and say hi.

I wonder when Georgia will do something else stupid. It will probably be awhile.

United States harassing Middle Eastern countries, China in Tibet and now Russia poking Georgia remind me of high school bullies trying to tell everybody they own the yard. The world is not suitable for empires anymore; competition is fierce and the candidates are tired. The only game left is who can bully others a little more to hide their fear of uncertain future a little better. In this situation the west has only two meaningful choices left. Either to accept Russia's heavy hand in his neighborhood or immediately ratify Georgia's and Ukraine's NATO membership and park the tanks inside their borders. Anything else is just useless talk.

MikeB wrote:

"Likewise, gangs of Indian H1-B workers in this country have stolen the plans for the B1 and B2 bomber, our stealth fighter and stealth technology, submarine technology, shoulder launched missiles, everytyhing they can get their hands on, stolen and sold to Russia or China."

These so-called "gangs" of Indians you refer to contribute greatly to the economic and technological development of your country. Would you rather have a minority ethnic who is a professional, who adds to the overall knowledge pool, or would you have minority ethnics that rape, rob, and burden the state welfare system? Having ethnic Indians in your country is a blessing, be grateful.

David, I sincerely doubt you belive this is the beginning of a push to put the old Soviet Union back together. I'm guessing you probably believe it is a combination of factors such as the missile defense shield, the US trying to push the EU to allow Georgia into NATO, Kosovo and a strong feeling in the Kremlin the US has overstepped it's bounds and is meddling in the internal affairs of Russia.

Georgia sending troops into the break away republics was just the excuse the Kremlin needed to assert itself militarily over Georgia and to show them the rest of the world wouldn't come to their aid. To accomplish this they have engaged in what appears to be a Shock and Awe campign against the Georgians and have executed it quite successfully.

What for the life of me I don't understand is why is it acceptable for the US to run around the globe and rob, rape, pillage, plunder, murder and torture other peoples, but it's not all right for Russia who at least had the common sense to stay close to home? Where do we get off telling the Russians they are doing something unacceptable? We have no moral high ground to criticize the Russians. Bush threw that away years ago.

Could we please remind ourselves that this is war, i.e. a matter of life and death for all involved, that it is taking place at Russia’s own border, and that Russia has the power to destroy this world many times over?

Before too many here become hysterical, I would suggest each and every one of us goes first through a reality check, in steps: 1. review the whole sequence of events that have led to the present war, 2. examine only the facts first, 3. then begin to interpret events and facts in light of what this country would do under similar circumstances, and in the same type of context. Preferably, this exercise should take place BEFORE, not after we, as a country, decide to act.

In this instance, one could easily avail oneself of the opportunity offered by the Washington Post, to at least review Dmitri Trenin’s "Georgia's Risky Move", Anatol Lieven's "Georgia's Miscalculation" and Mikhail. Gorbachev’s “A Path to Peace in the Caucasus”. ***

I am amazed at how fast anybody and nobody is prepared, once again, to rush to conclusions, refuse to listen to the parties involved, let alone discuss conflicting points of view, and begin cheering vociferously for military intervention.

This is not children’s material: it has to do with the geopolitical order of the world.

After all the lies and deception that have led to the Vietnam war, as well as to the latest military adventures in Afghanistan and in Iraq, I dare suggest that what is happening now is worth at least a thought (or two), before allegedly responsible people begin screaming and kicking, something that has little to do with any semblance of sustainable foreign policy for this country, let alone with any long-lasting solution for the world.

It should not go unnoticed that those events are taking place during a US presidential campaign. How they may influence the results of the election must not to be overlooked.

***

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/11/AR2008081101372.html

The links to the other two articles are to be found on PG’s front page!

This is not the start of any Russian push for anything, the reclkess Georgian leadership looked for trouble and got what they deserve. Intead of condemining the Russians, we should be condemining the Georgian leadership that started this. We in the USA will do the same thing if we are in Russians situation, and heck, we already did that in Iraq, and we may be looking to do same in Iran.
So, all the Georgian trolls, tell your boy Sa'vili or whatever his name is to stop looking for trouble.

Putin is the "good friend" of the U.S commander-in-chief and it turns out this good friend ruins all values of the USA due to USA doesnot prove itself as a reliable ally when Goergia is in very bad shape stabbed relentlessly by the the evil russia the most dangerous nation in this world!
The shame came to the doorstep of the USA as it has proven as an impotent ally to the rest of the world!
Sad and shame is the gifts given from Putin and its puppet Russian president given to USA and its citizens!

Russia is not trying to regain its former empire, so the premise behind this question is ridiculous. Under the neo-con dominated Bush administration, no country is allowed to have an independent foreign policy or assert its perception of national self-interests unless they are in accord with neo-con ideology.

As bad as the Bush presidency has been, McCain would be more belligerent on the world stage. Some people say a McCain presidency would be a third Bush term. Actually Bush is relatively moderate compared to him. McCain is closer to Cheney in his neo-con ideology. So for those neo-cons who wish Cheney had been fully the president, McCain is their candidate.

One thing we not ought to be doing is tradinf with Russia, transferring technology and jobs there. Furthermore, we need to cut off trade and technology transfer with India and other countries that sell the Russian's those. Free trade sounds well and good, but the survival of the nation, surival of us as people, ought to come before Wall Street profits. Again and again, we have seen nuclear trechnology, military secrets, even personal information, that was warehoused in India ending up in Russia. Likewise, gangs of Indian H1-B workers in this country have stolen the plans for the B1 and B2 bomber, our stealth fighter and stealth technology, submarine technology, shoulder launched missiles, everytyhing they can get their hands on, stolen and sold to Russia or China.

Its time for the USA to abandon the one-sided and narrow-minded perspective of the world.
The georgians have attacked without any scrupels and have no right to do it.
Why is there no images of the atrocities they commited since last friday in the western media?
Ossetian dead are of less importance and value than British or US dead?
How long shall we (the west) kill hundreds of thousand of people in the name of OIL?????
Time to wake up and to change the status quo, don't you think?