Thread: Why Georgia Matters

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Morning Bell: Why Georgia Matters

Posted August 13th, 2008 at 9.08am in American Leadership.

Details on the current state of Russia’s invasion of Georgia are still hard to verify at this point. The last 12 hours have seen news of both a claim by Russia that it has stopped the violence, but also many reports that Russian forces continue to push deep into Georgia — looting, burning and killing innocent Georgians along the way. What is becoming more and more clear, however, is that this Russian invasion had been planned for some time and that the scope of its objectives extends well beyond the disputed South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions.

There are multiple reports out this morning that the Russian attack on Georgian sovereignty began well before violence erupted in the South Ossetia region between Russia and Georgia. According to the New York Times, security experts in the U.S. were tracking Russian cyberspace attacks against Georgia weeks before the first bombs fell. The attacks fit into a well-established Russian practice of cyber-warfare, which it has also used against former Soviet possessions Lithuania and Estonia.

Heritage senior research fellow Ariel Cohen enumerates Russia’s far-reaching goals of the war on Georgia:

1. Expulsion of Georgian troops and termination of Georgian sovereignty in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

2. “Regime changeâ€

One silver lining out of the conflict has been the solidifying solidarity between the former Soviet republics. Last night the the leaders of Poland, Ukraine, Lithuanua, Latvia and Estonia all joined Saakashvili for a rally before thousands in Tblisi, Georgia.

This is very scary to me, with friends in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. I would hate to see the next expansion of Russia's muscle, and consequent thumbing their nose at the US, to include any of the countries that have gotten a hard fought freedom from the USSR. This is a greatly appreciated freedom (where you can laugh on the streets and sit in a cafe arguing politics, stay in a hotel without worrying about the babushka in the hall recording times of leaving or returning, and going to a restaurant no longer means you have to go to the cash register to use the one knife in the whole place to cut the meat, not having to wait 10 years for a telephone, or ordering furniture that you have no choice of what color, much less what style.)

Originally Posted by vortex

One silver lining out of the conflict has been the solidifying solidarity between the former Soviet republics. Last night the the leaders of Poland, Ukraine, Lithuanua, Latvia and Estonia all joined Saakashvili for a rally before thousands in Tblisi, Georgia.

This is very scary to me, with friends in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. I would hate to see the next expansion of Russia's muscle, and consequent thumbing their nose at the US, to include any of the countries that have gotten a hard fought freedom from the USSR. This is a greatly appreciated freedom (where you can laugh on the streets and sit in a cafe arguing politics, stay in a hotel without worrying about the babushka in the hall recording times of leaving or returning, and going to a restaurant no longer means you have to go to the cash register to use the one knife in the whole place to cut the meat, not having to wait 10 years for a telephone, or ordering furniture that you have no choice of what color, much less what style.)

I pray your friends will be kept safe vortex, along with everyone else.

I think this situation is important to keep an eye on. As I've said in an earlier post, I think Russia is reasserting its evil empire.

they are all on Larry King Live tonight Gorbachav and President Mikheil Saakashvili And talk of another COLD WAR between the USA AND RUSSIA

Actually all these stories kind of tie into one another.

Illegal Invasion into the USA which causes bad feelings among the American which can turn into violent actions at times.

Our government site up there in the DC area and says WE MUST ALL GET ALONG and even passed laws on HATE CRIMES.

But at the same time that same GOVERNMENT does NOT get along with other COUNTRIES whether for their beliefs or what they may do , which our government does not like. WELL that usually turns into a confrontation or even WAR!

So much for getting along,huh

This is crazy. The USA and Russia are two dying nations. If you think it is bad here, you should check out Russia......The average Russian male has a 59 y/o life expectancy. Russia loses 100,000 people every year through early death and anemic birth rates. The teaming Chinese will flood the vacant Russian nation in the future. Russia is in absolutely no position to take over eastern Europe, much less the world. They won't be able to hold on to the territory they currenty posses in the future. IMO Russia has no plans of conquest on a wide scale. We have been antagonizing them for years by moving NATO into formerly Russian occupied territories, and trying to include former Soviet nations into the alliance.

And what NATO effectively is, is a war guarantee. We are handing out war guarantees to nations left and right...........just like Britain did the days leading up to WWII. And like Britain, we do not have the military strength to back up all of our war guarantee claims. And like Britian, this stupid policy could lead to a catastrophic war, that results in the end of our world supremecy.

We are behaving like a dying empire.

Good point BearFlag, but I still think we haven't seen the last of Russia.

I pray as well, Doots. I am almost afraid to email these folks now with Mother Russia doing cyber attacks. I don't think a passenger pigeon would make it that far. Letters used to be opened before delivery by postal workers looking for cash, taking 3 months to get there, no doubt being passed through censors before delivery.
Amazing Larry King interview with Gorby, doing his best about the US making mistakes after the cold war, but since he was responsible for the breakup of the USSR in the first place, I believe his motive is not being thrown into Lubyanka prison.

Agree, BearFlagRepublic. We have been having serious problems which could lead to collapse of this country for years under previous administrations. Perhaps this current administration, doing nothing and proven to be lying or at least twisting the truth about our situation to the American people, is serious enough. But while they believe their own rhetoric about us being the only superpower on the earthball, it has been a serious mistake to go around baiting or attacking other countries. Communust China, who in my estimation doesn't give a potooty about us, except to sell to us has already made a very clear point. Russia is doing the same thing. Then there are the rantings of Chavez in Venezuela, who exports oil to us.
All I can see is a future for this country where nothing will ever be the same. The recent power rhetoric just causes those against whom it is directed, like the rest of the world, to sit up and say, "Oh yeah! We don't think so...and we may just prove it."
As I said earlier, I am very scared.