The US is a paper tiger. After years of occupation they still are unable to pacify Iraq. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1218446196458&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull Putin will withdraw on his own schedule. Russia will ignore both Rice and the EU until then.
Has Russia really come back is the main question. While $100B can buy lots of brand new military hardware but economics is the variable that keeps armies in good standing condition. Russian economy is dependent on commodities and partially in terms of oil and gas this advantage can be softened as world is desperately seeking alternative energy sources. However, in terms of other commodities like Iron ore, nickel, coal, and other minerals, due to the rise of China, India and Brazil, the demand will be high for some time to come. Going into the future, Russia can count on solid commodities and military hardware exports as sources of revenues. Also, soil on Russian lands is pretty rich and it can also earn good amounts from agricultural production and exports to China and India and ofcourse the rest of the world. This in turn also translates to the ability to produce more grains and thus more livestock. Russia should make sure that it sticks to the free market type path and does not get into any aggressive land grabbing race with the west. Russia has total right to defend its interests as it recently did in Georgia and also to defend itself from hostile organizations like NATO and other western alliances which have not changed the aggressive posture towards Russia even after it changed its economic orientation and preferred a more democratic and normal social set up. Instead of helping in the transtional phase, US and NATO are bent on encroaching and encircling Russia and supporting regimes hostile towards the Russian best interests. When change occurs and is not supported and rather back stabbed then change is short lived and worse, results in a very long period of distrust and tension.
. August 13, 2008 SouthAmerica: Reply to Cesko You said: âFuck Chrisitian Monitor. Russia's blitz hasn't exposed anything.â I did watch the evening news on CNN in the New York Metropolitan area â and CNN did show the Russian Foreign Minister giving an ultimatum to the United States to choose side or get out of the way. CNN analysts were very concerned that the reaction of the United States it is more like a quick rollover and play dead â and the Russians are ready to move next against the Ukraine. The Russians have realized that the United States is in a very weak position today, and the United States will not be able to do anything about if the Russians take over these countries once again. The entire world is watching the United States reactions â and this time around we have the Cuban crisis in reverse since the Russians are being assertive about their circle of influence and they are telling the United States to Buzz off. George W. Bush reaction was to send Condi Rice to deliver some supplies to Georgia (It is also possible that George W. Bush is thinking that they are talking about Ray Charles â Georgia on my mind) I hope that someone took the time to explain to George W. Bush that the Georgia that is in the news and have been attacked by the Russians is the Georgia next to Russia and not the state of Georgia where CNN studios is located in Atlanta. Before George W. Bush makes another major mistake it will be nice if one of his advisers explain to George W. Bush the difference between the 2 Georgias â the first Georgia is where Ted Turner used to live and where CNN studios are located here in the United States, and the other Georgia is where Joseph Stalin came from. (We have to assume that George W. Bush heard the name of Stalin before.) After someone explain to George Bush about the difference between the 2 Georgias â someone must tell him that the Georgia that has been attacked used to be part of the Soviet Union since 1922. The Russians are just trying to reconstruct the Soviet Union once again and Georgia is one of the missing pieces. After this conversation to clarify some points about the Russian invasion George W. Bush will feel more relaxed when he finds out that the Russians have not attacked the US soil. The last time the United States was attacked on 9/11 it took him a long time to figure what was going on and he could not let go of that childrenâs book. This time around as we were watching on television this major international crisis in development at least we could see where President was â he was having a good time watching the Olympic games and the television cameras did show George W. Bush attending many of the events. I know what must be going through George W, Bushâs mind when he was told that there was a major international crisis going on. He probably was thinking I have only 2 options here: 1) Stay in China and have a good time attending the Olympic events or 2) Go back to Washington D.C. and look like a complete impotent powerless fool. I guess I stay in China as long as I can get away with. And finally the buffoon went back to Washington D.C. and assumed his position of a complete impotent powerless fool. Soap opera to be continued.... .
'The Russians have realized that the United States is in a very weak position today, and the United States will not be able to do anything about if the Russians take over these countries once again.' US is in weak position? I would disagree, mere 150K of 2M soldiers in Iraq, another 25K in Afganistan. This means 90% of US military is available for missions anywhere. US is in weak position in terms of economic numbers, debt and several sectors like real estate, oil based industries, credit markets in very vulnerable situation. Russia should not send tanks to crush and grab any nation in the neighborhood or far. Iraq example is good enough and Russians learned it the hard way in Afganistan itself. Political, Economic and Social clout is more important. Superpowers or even middle powers should show some empathy and consideration towards other less powerful nations. While what happened in Georgia was absolutely called for and provoked but seeing in last 20 years we find major powers have acted very recklessly and even in an evil manner and hence world is in state of chaos and hostilities of all kinds towards each other.
Have mentioned it before and am repeating it again: It seems the Russian exercsion on Georgia was a well planned move of the White House Replublicans who want McCain to be elected. US intelligence is not that weak as to not judge the Russian response to Georgian attack on S. Ossetia. They wanted to create a new threat and they have done well in that goal. With a new slogan of 'Russians are back', they will try to show Obama in the light of no military experience and a person with softline towards hostile or self righteous nations. The RAT Republican bastards do not understand that biggest threat to the US is the ECONOMY not a new EVIL EMPIRE anywhere be it in Russia or Middle East or China. RATS are only interested in winning the White House and control of the Congress and all the while ignoring the accelarating squeeze on the US middle class. Economically US is hollowing up and RATs are only interested in chasing a ghost in the White House. RAT: Republicans Are Traitors!
Dangerous Times In Georgia Demand Serious Leadership by Fred Thompson My mind goes back to August 2002 in Tbilisi, as I visited Georgia with John McCain. I remember it feeling rather dark and secretive, with the former-Soviet Unionâs heavy hand still making its presence felt. President Eduard Shevardnadze, formerly Soviet minister of foreign affairs, presented a friendlier face to the United States, but was beset by economic problems and corruption charges. At the time I did not fully appreciate the power of the democratic impulses that were just beginning to bubble up and would lead to the democratic Georgian government we now see threatened. What has happened in Georgia since that time should not be surprising to anyone. Certainly Russia has tried to pretty itself up: it renamed the KGB and even gave its 21st century strongman Vladimir Putin a new title. But for some time weâve seen Russia sliding back to its authoritarian comfort zone. Murder, imprisonment and property confiscation are back in vogue for any perceived troublemaker. Former Soviet provinces have faced all forms of intimidation, from thuggish trade shakedowns to cyber attacks that shut down communications with the outside world. And whether a former satellite like Poland or a longtime western ally like Germany, Russia has made overt threats over plans to bring eastern European countries into NATO or to deploy a U.S.-provided missile defense system. Russia is not above using anything at its disposal to make its point. It is a wealthy nation, built on a petro-economy that provides oil and gas to dependent European nations, which are petrified of having their energy supplies disrupted and are now in their own economic doldrums. Given all this, Russiaâs incursion into Georgia is a logical extension of Putinâs autocratic words and deeds and Russiaâs regional ambitions, which must be leaving those nations closest to Russiaâs borders â the Baltic states and Ukraine â nervous about a bitter and uneasy winter. All the while, in Eastern Europe some of Americaâs staunchest friends are watching to see what the reaction of the U.S. and the west will be to Russiaâs latest gambit. The U.S. and others use the word âunacceptable,â undoubtedly with the same effect that we get when we use it with the Iranians. So do we threaten Russia with denial of the membership in the World Trade Organization that it so covets? Do we expedite Georgia and the Ukraineâs entry into NATO? Do we cut off the tens of millions that we send into Russia to â hopefully â provide for security of nuclear materials? Everything should be on the table. But the one thing we must not do is allow Russia to feel it can get away with, let alone feel rewarded for, this invasion of a sovereign democratic nation that has also loyally supported coalition efforts in Iraq. While this crisis plays out we should also note that these events give evidence of a larger reality: the next American President is going to face an international landscape that is more difficult and treacherous than we have ever faced. By now most Americans appreciate the dangers of international terrorism and the fact that a small number of people can wreck unimaginable havoc upon our country and our people if they get their hands on the right kinds of weaponry. What is less understood is that some of the older, traditional kinds of threats are still very much with us, only heightened because of the increasing availability of nuclear weapons and other weapon technologies. Who wasnât impressed by the sea of Chinese performers, smiling and perfectly synchronized at the opening ceremony of the summer Olympics, demonstrating to the world their discipline and âorganizational skillsâ? Or their ability to present to TV viewers beautiful fireworks displays that donât really exist? What isnât an illusion is that China is engaged in a rapid military buildup, the extent of which we do not know. With hundreds of missiles pointed toward Taiwan, experts say China is developing the capability to take Taiwan before the U. S. has the ability to respond. Pakistan and India are still belligerently staring each other down over Kashmir. Both countries, of course, have nuclear arsenals, and Pakistan is of questionable stability with a segment of its intelligence community supportive of the Taliban. The Iranian nuclear threat proceeds apace. As Iraq stabilizes and our role there is reduced, there will continue to be a major debate within the United States as to how we deal with this increasingly dangerous world of new threats as well as old ones. Our military is stretched thin and worn down and it is clear to anyone who takes the time to study the matter that we cannot get by with the expenditure of 4% of our GDP on our military. The threats to our country are going to require a much more dedicated response. To what extent should we fill the role that we have filled pretty much since the end of World War II as the No. 1 friend of democracy and provider of stability in the world? How much in the way of resources are we going to be willing to devote to this endeavor? The isolationist tendencies of the Democrats are not limited to trade agreements. Many are tired of the war in Iraq and will want to use any âpeace dividendâ on domestic purposes as future demands of our entitlement programs become more and more apparent. Little help can be expected from our friends in Europe no matter how much it appears that their own interests are at stake. European countries spend even less of their GDP on their own defense than we do. They continue to trade with Iran, refusing to impose tough sanctions as Iran develops its nuclear capabilities. These are the weak reeds on which many would have us lean in our effort to fight global terrorism and the authoritarianism that threatens democratic countries. So letâs recap: international terrorism; powerful nation states on a quest for hegemony, whether close to home or further afield and with a willingness to squelch freedom anytime the opportunity arises; less stable and no less dangerous countries with nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities; an alliance of democratic nations of questionable resolve and a debate at home over our future role in the world with a political party happy to create the impression of diminished resolve with little concern for the long term damage such an impression may cause. Under these circumstances the old title âleader of the free worldâ takes on renewed meaning. He will have to guide the body politic at home toward resolution and in all likelihood engender resolve in a new alliance of democratic nations to deal with this broad array of challenges. In short it will require someone with experience and the courage to put his nationâs long term interest above his own. I suppose itâs obvious where Iâm going with this. This is no time to elect a president whose international experience is limited to speaking to adoring European crowds who want to see the United States retreat from the world ⦠until they require our help in the next crisis that threatens them. It has been instructive for the country to see the candidatesâ reaction to the equivalent of Hillary Clintonâs 3 a.m. phone call. While he was vacationing in Hawaii, Barack Obamaâs advisors scrambled into action and initially came up with the expected liberal bromides which equated the actions of Russia and Georgia and only ratcheted up the rhetoric when they began to actually understand what was happening. It wasnât that difficult for John McCain. For him Georgia was another little-known part of the world, whose leaders and history he is familiar with. And long before this Georgian crisis, heâs had the correct read on Russia, just as heâs had the right read on what we needed to do in Iraq. . This crisis half a world away confirms what Iâve been saying for a while: This election cycle, the traffic in the world is very heavy â¦and dangerous; itâs no time to give a kid with barely a learnerâs permit the keys to the car. http://townhall.com/columnists/FredT...ous_leadership
. August 15, 2008 SouthAmerica: Reply to Toc By taking over Georgia and staying there Russia can show to the world that they are back and nobody can do anything about including the United States. China is not going to take Taiwan by force since slowly Taiwan can be brought to the fold in a peaceful way. Tell me why what is happening in Georgia will be handled any different than when Israel attacked Lebanon and pulverized that country and for an entire month the United States just watched the destruction of Lebanon from the sidelines. If the Russians do the same thing in Georgia this time around the United States is going to just watch from the sidelines and bark a few times for the world to think that the US is doing something about. At the end of the day, the United States are completely impotent to do anything about. And just like in the case of Serbia a few years ago the United States will not start a nuclear war against the Russians to be able to protect Georgia, The Russians did not start a nuclear war against the United States when the US pulverized Serbia a long time ally of the Russians and Soviet Union. The best the United States could do at this time was to send Condi Rice to deliver some supplies to the Georgians â and who pays attention or cares about what Condi Rice has to say anyway? .
Actually the response was the put the missle shield over Poland which Russia is now crying about and stating Poland may be attacked by nuclear weapons. An impotent response? I think not. China takes over Taiwan by force perhaps their largest trading partner closes the door and no more harmony for the people's repbulic which is what they fear the most. SA, the only thing impotent here is your brain.
oh, yeah declare war to Russians and send 1M troops to Georgia it will take just one nuclear shot from Russians do you truly believe USA will take a risk to start war with Russians? Nuclear superpower USA can just talk - as they talk about inflation, economic growth etc. nothing real And the last war us won was Grenada Maybe Bush thinks Russia is equal to Grenada?