Below I have written a paen to the passing of the Russians. Apparently, they intend to wage a number of wars before they go. My favorite poet ought to be consulted here:
http://www.kipling.org.uk/poems_trucebear.htm
A small nation has been attacked and may be destroyed by tomorrow. Russia did not get a U.N. resolution. Russia threatens an oil pipeline that is all that stands between it and total control of oil to Europe by land. The Georgians have offered to settle the territorial disputes peacefully by international tribunals. How many protests will we see in the streets? Where will code pink be? The brave, non-unilateral Eurpoeans will surely respond with muscular support of Georgia and useful multi-national, and U.N. diplomacy that solves this problem?
Years ago I visited Tblisi and thought the Georgians would do well if Communism ever left them. Apparently its not to be.
9 comments:
Here, here.
I will join your protest in the streets, JJV.
JCC
I have a lot to say about this and no time to say it.
And the US has really done its part with some muscular support for a country that the US actively encouraged to poke the Bear? I think that you need to read the Fred Kaplan article on Slate entitled "Lonely Night in Georgia," JJV, before you start castigating the Europeans too much.
www.slate.com/id/2197281/
I do not consult Slate before I castigate Europeans. Nor do I need to read anything in Slate to understand that when Russia invades a neighboring state and Europe quails before it, it is GWB's fault according to that magazine.
Putting aside the question of whose fault it is (as an aside, I just read Gorbachev's interesting take on that question), are you suggesting that: a) this is strictly a European problem, so the US sitting on its hands is just fine, and/or; b) that the US response thus far has been one iota "more muscular" than the European response? Because as Kaplan's article points out, other than Bush and Cheney rattling some illusory sabers (i.e. where would significant US troops come from to go to Georgia, even if we were inclined to go there?), and the US Ambassador to the UN advocating the exact same path as the Europeans (i.e. try to ram some resolutions through a UN Security Council on which Russia has veto power -- yeah, that'll work), the US response thus far hasn't exactly been "muscular."
By the way, I know that your idea of a "muscular response" is what you do when Stew invades your territories in an unprovoked manner in Civilization, so don't equivocate, either.
I was going to observe that Georgia's move vs. S. Ossetia strongly resembles one of my boardgame gambits, and with nearly identical results, but it seemed out of place in my otherwise relatively serious post.
Also, if Russia owned the spigot to 25% of your natural gas and half of your oil, you might quail too.
Hey, no bringing up board games as on that level, Putin's moves do have a kind of...familiarity to them.("I sensed weakness.")
And you can bet that bastard was rocking back and forth in glee as the weekend progressed.
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