Russia to Georgia - ...fool us twice and "Dasvedanya!"
Ian Brockwell
September 09, 2008
When Russia responded to the attack by Georgia on South Ossetia, they could very easily have gone much further (all the way to the Georgian capital Tbilisi). Saakashvili would have course have departed before the arrival of the Russian forces, and probably be seen chewing his tie on the long flight back to America.
However, Russia showed tremendous restraint by halting their advance when they did (of their own accord), but many felt they should have gone further. This clearly shows that Russia´s response was controlled and designed to send a message to Georgia (and those that support this country): "We could have done more, but chose not to, this time"
The ability to keep a "cool head" under war conditions is something the Bush administration has yet to achieve, starting wars without a plan. But Russia provided a perfect example of how to engage in combat and obtain results with a minimum loss of life (most of the deaths were caused by the Georgian attack).
The French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, has been trying very hard to get Russia to withdraw its troops not just from Georgia, but from Abkhazia and South Ossetia as well. Is he crazy?
Maybe Sarkozy has forgotten that Saakashvili told Russia that he would not attack South Ossetia just hours before he did. Is Russia supposed to trust someone like that?
And wouldn´t it be very convenient if the Russian´s were foolish enough to do just that, and make it so much easier for the US, Israel and probably NATO to move in and start supplying more weapons again. It seems that the US already thinks it owns the country, as they plan to set up a military base there. Just because they have bought Saakashvili, his family and friends in the Georgian government, doesn´t mean they have the blessing of the people.
The people of Georgia will very soon make it clear what they think of Saakashvili and his new US and Israeli masters, his days in office are numbered. Russia know the Georgians much better than anyone else and that is probably another reason for not taking control of the country. They would prefer to have Georgia select its own President (a more stable option), and know that this is only a matter of time. It is also certain that the "new" President will be more independent, but at the same time likely to be open to restoring links with Russia. This scenario can be expected in Ukraine as well.
To make it perfectly clear to Saakashvili, Sarkozy, Bush and anyone else interested, that Russia will not be fooled by their "promises", plans are underway to set up two Russian bases in the separatist regions, consisting of 3,600 Russian troops in each. This should, as President Dmitry Medvedev put it, "stop the Georgian military regime from committing any idiotic actions" Should this not be the case, you can be certain that Russia will go all the way next time and remove the culprit, and put an end to the Israeli/US connections at the same time.
Dmitry Medvedev has announced withdrawal dates (from other parts of Georgia) on certain conditions. Whilst the US is promoting this as some victory for the West and a "concession" by Russia, they would be wise to read the small print on this deal. Russia will remove their troops from Georgia 10 days after the EU deploys a peace keeping force there and the EU will be responsible for any violations. That could mean that if the EU doesn´t do a good job of keeping the peace, Russia will resume the task or maybe reconsider the gas supplies to Europe this winter!
The Bush administration, showing their usual tact and diplomacy, have accused Europe of not giving enough support against Russia and stated that "they wished the European Union had been willing to take firmer action than issuing tepid statements criticizing Russia´s conduct" I´m sure Europe are comforted to know that they are not excluded from the insults that the Bush administration are famous for and maybe Bush should try reading something other than "The little goat" book. How about "How to win friends and influence people"?
Meanwhile, there is a deafening silence from Israel at the moment. What has happened to all the "The world must..." statements we are so used to hearing? Could it be the possibility of Russian supplied (perhaps nuclear) missiles for Iran? Are they upset that they may not be the only country in the Middle East to have such weapons soon? I guess that´s the penalty you have to pay when you start talking about using nuclear weapons on your neighbors or manipulating others for your own benefit?
The problem with bullies (US, Israel and NATO) is that once you show that you are not afraid of them and fight back (as Russia is doing at the moment), they very quickly lose their courage and try to get others to help fight their fights. Unfortunately, they are fast running out of "friends" and will have to accept that fact, sooner or later. The "chess game" is nearing an end and Russia knows how to play this game very well. In a few more moves Russia will have its opponents in "check". This would be a good time to settle for a draw, as a "checkmate" would be much more painful!
However, Russia showed tremendous restraint by halting their advance when they did (of their own accord), but many felt they should have gone further. This clearly shows that Russia´s response was controlled and designed to send a message to Georgia (and those that support this country): "We could have done more, but chose not to, this time"
The ability to keep a "cool head" under war conditions is something the Bush administration has yet to achieve, starting wars without a plan. But Russia provided a perfect example of how to engage in combat and obtain results with a minimum loss of life (most of the deaths were caused by the Georgian attack).
The French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, has been trying very hard to get Russia to withdraw its troops not just from Georgia, but from Abkhazia and South Ossetia as well. Is he crazy?
Maybe Sarkozy has forgotten that Saakashvili told Russia that he would not attack South Ossetia just hours before he did. Is Russia supposed to trust someone like that?
And wouldn´t it be very convenient if the Russian´s were foolish enough to do just that, and make it so much easier for the US, Israel and probably NATO to move in and start supplying more weapons again. It seems that the US already thinks it owns the country, as they plan to set up a military base there. Just because they have bought Saakashvili, his family and friends in the Georgian government, doesn´t mean they have the blessing of the people.
The people of Georgia will very soon make it clear what they think of Saakashvili and his new US and Israeli masters, his days in office are numbered. Russia know the Georgians much better than anyone else and that is probably another reason for not taking control of the country. They would prefer to have Georgia select its own President (a more stable option), and know that this is only a matter of time. It is also certain that the "new" President will be more independent, but at the same time likely to be open to restoring links with Russia. This scenario can be expected in Ukraine as well.
To make it perfectly clear to Saakashvili, Sarkozy, Bush and anyone else interested, that Russia will not be fooled by their "promises", plans are underway to set up two Russian bases in the separatist regions, consisting of 3,600 Russian troops in each. This should, as President Dmitry Medvedev put it, "stop the Georgian military regime from committing any idiotic actions" Should this not be the case, you can be certain that Russia will go all the way next time and remove the culprit, and put an end to the Israeli/US connections at the same time.
Dmitry Medvedev has announced withdrawal dates (from other parts of Georgia) on certain conditions. Whilst the US is promoting this as some victory for the West and a "concession" by Russia, they would be wise to read the small print on this deal. Russia will remove their troops from Georgia 10 days after the EU deploys a peace keeping force there and the EU will be responsible for any violations. That could mean that if the EU doesn´t do a good job of keeping the peace, Russia will resume the task or maybe reconsider the gas supplies to Europe this winter!
The Bush administration, showing their usual tact and diplomacy, have accused Europe of not giving enough support against Russia and stated that "they wished the European Union had been willing to take firmer action than issuing tepid statements criticizing Russia´s conduct" I´m sure Europe are comforted to know that they are not excluded from the insults that the Bush administration are famous for and maybe Bush should try reading something other than "The little goat" book. How about "How to win friends and influence people"?
Meanwhile, there is a deafening silence from Israel at the moment. What has happened to all the "The world must..." statements we are so used to hearing? Could it be the possibility of Russian supplied (perhaps nuclear) missiles for Iran? Are they upset that they may not be the only country in the Middle East to have such weapons soon? I guess that´s the penalty you have to pay when you start talking about using nuclear weapons on your neighbors or manipulating others for your own benefit?
The problem with bullies (US, Israel and NATO) is that once you show that you are not afraid of them and fight back (as Russia is doing at the moment), they very quickly lose their courage and try to get others to help fight their fights. Unfortunately, they are fast running out of "friends" and will have to accept that fact, sooner or later. The "chess game" is nearing an end and Russia knows how to play this game very well. In a few more moves Russia will have its opponents in "check". This would be a good time to settle for a draw, as a "checkmate" would be much more painful!
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