As I’ve been predicting, the Russian offensive seems to be over, contra Bill Kristol’s expectation they would march into the Georgian capital and overthrow the gov’t.Â
There’s a bit too much paranoia about Russia these days. They aren’t as liberal as one would like, but they are basically a democracy, if a very flawed and authoritarian example of the species.
Also, as Kristol points out Russia is a pretty feeble power, and I would add that this probably isn’t that big a deal unless the Russkies actually do go charging into the Georgian capital and establish a dictatorship, which seems very unlikely for all sorts of reasons, including international disapproval, the economic sanctions that might result, and the cost of an occupation.Â
Russia has legitimate interests in South Ossetia and Abkhazian. Should it move beyond what can reasonably construed as protecting those interests, then we should worry, but too many people are reacting to this as though the Soviets just re-invaded Afghanistan.
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Step away from the drugs, Dave. They’ll kill ya.
Seriously, the Russians are demanding that the President of Georgia resign as a condition of a continued cease-fire. How do you construe that as anything but a desire (demand?) to return to the Soviet Empire?
Whether South Ossetia is a part of Georgia or independent (understand that no one, not even Russia, has ever recognized South Ossetia as independent), one thing it most definitely is not: part of Russia.
Boyd’s last blog post..Enough already with the John Edwards coverage
By this standard, Texas has legitimate interests in Coahuila, too, but that wouldn’t excuse an American invasion of Mexico, no matter how certain Texans and Coahuilans felt about it.
Boyd,
The Russians are asking for more than they can get, figuring to compromise on South Ossetian independence. The Soviets would have simply sent the tanks into the capital and arrested the whole government. It’s orders of magnitude different.
Phelps,
Do you know how Texas became a U.S. state?
I know all about how Texas became a state. I know all about the constitution of 1824, the two stars vs. the lone star, Houston’s deal with Jackson re: the neutral territory, the Republic era, the Mexican-American war, etc.
Then you must see the parallels here.
I see how things were completely different, you mean. There is no evidence of any Ossetian contingent. The fighting is 100% Georgian vs. Russian. This isn’t like Texas; North Ossetia would be Texas in the analogy (and then it is a VERY loose analogy.) South Ossetia would be Coahuila.
I’m sorry as hell the Russians are NOT invading Afghanistan. Maybe this time, we would have common sense enough not to ship ground to air missiles to the Mujahadeen.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
Arnold, on what grounds did you oppose shipping ground to air missiles to the Mujahadeen at the time of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan?
Ron Coleman’s last blog post..Bloggers use deoderants, eat cupcakes
Russia(USA) has legitimate interests inSouth Ossetia(South Korea)
and Abkhazian.Should it move beyond what can reasonably construed as protecting those interests, then we should worry, but too many people are reacting to this as though the
Soviets(North Koreans) just invaded(Georgia)South Korea.Heaven forbid that a G8 summit attending, world superpower invade a small country to protect their interests in an area no one else cares about.
You’re a blithering idiot. A useful one at that.
Pardon the ad hominem, but I always wanted to punch Walter Duranty in the mouth. Since time travel hasn’t been invented yet, I thank you for presenting a suitable textual substitute.
Of course Russia didn’t invade Tbilisi. That is not their goal. Their goal is to make everyone in the region kowtow to their demands because they’ve shown they can send a column on tanks rolling towards the capital city of any one of them, without fear of reprisal.
They have been using the imagined plight of ethnic Russians in the sovereign countries neighboring them as a catch-all casus belli for diplomatic and economic strongarming ever since Putin took office. Now this de facto dictatorship (let’s break term limits by changing terminology!) has used the same Sudetenland excuse to invade sovereign countries that threaten its oil interests.
Russia is weak now, maybe (not as weak as you think). But by ignoring this sort of flagrant bellicosity and complete disregard to any sort of civilized school of foreign policy, you’re just covering your eyes until they become far too strong for you to handle. They have very, very serious aspirations to become an empire again, to ensure that Europe is wholly dependent on them for all its energy needs. And their inebriated, illiterate soldiers will rape and pillage everything that gets in the way and won’t fight back.
to ensure that Europe is wholly dependent on them for all its energy needs.
Better them than us.
Better them than us.
Because of the magical pixie dust force field around the continental United States that will shield you from all the geopolitical and economic ramifications of allowing a totalitarian state to regain its status as a superpower and seize control of the majority of the world’s oil reserves?
How far-sighted of you.
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