Putin confirms that Russia is a war with Georgia

[finn the feenian]

http://www.belfasttelegraph .co.uk/news/world-news/georgia-russia-has-invaded-and-we-are-under-attack-13934899.html?a=1393 4899


Russia sent troops and tanks into the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia today as Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin declared "the war has started".

[VzN]

Just checked out the comparisons in armies. Russia is a beast.

[Redshirter]

It is just a coincidence that the trouble started on the same day as the Olympices started or is there more to it than we know . Think back to the Israeli invasion of Lebannon in 1982 it started on the same day as the 1982 world cup finals in Spain started

[VzN]

Israel works on its own schedule and on its own terms. Screw human rights and the UN.

[Actin The Sham]

There are two US C-17 cargo planes in Tiblisi Airport now, and they have F-14 and FA-18s flying cover for them all being controlled by an AWACS plane patrolling over Northern Turkey.

Let's see the Russian Air Force try and bomb the airport now.

[ho chi feen]

Heard at one remove from a Georgian living in Moscow that they've cut off all the foreign news channels in the last few days, so you're only getting the Planeta/Russia Today commentary. Also though, apparently, there is a large degree of disagreement in the Duma, with many not agreeing with the Putin...er, sorry, Medvedev line on the whole thing- so maybe not quite the United front that is being shown to the rest of the world. No illegal deporations being reported though, unlike during previous spats between the countries.

There is a large degree of dissatisfaction in Georgia with Saakashvili's headstrong recklessness in lighting the fuse too, although in the current circumstances, people are united behind their government.

Gorbachev wrote a good piece on it all the other day, can't remember which paper though...

[starchaser]

dunno about the illegal deportations - there's reports over the last few days of Ossetian militia going mental in the villages around the Georgian town of Gori - burning homes, shooting civilians etc..

seems to me that the Russians are creating an ethnically cleansed "buffer zone" around the border of south ossetia.

and the Russians went into the western port of Poti yet again today - blowing up the Georgian coastguard and navy boats there.

some ceasefire, eh?

i'm glad the americans are showing a bit of muscle by moving their navy and doing that "humanitarian aid" airlift. (yeah right - aid plus , no doubt, military equipment and advisers as well..)

where's the EU airlift for Georgia? as per usual the EU are all talk and no trousers.

[RizzlaRebel]

Basically I see this war as posturing by Russia, they goaded Georgia into starting a war so that they could reclaim some power and influence in the region.

Suppose the question is why did they do this??.....well when your Cold War enemy of only 20 years ago starts signing agreements to build missile interceptors right on your doorstep and other countries are being invited to join NATO, again on your doorstep.....what would you suppose they do?? Now are the US being smart about this and trying to preempt Russian agression or are they in fact the agressors in the region?? Russia is an up and coming power again and needs to be watched but it seems to be the US are again playing geopolitical games and yes their interest in Georgia surrounds oil.....what the hell they are doing in Poland is beyond me unless of course again they see a threat from Russia.

Where does that leave us? Unfortunately stuck in the middle, and I don't think the EU should be basing its foreign policy in the region on the US's after all we rely a lot more heavily on their gas etc.. and we should be attempting to have a better relationship with the Russians not just straight forward backing of US policy.

And who lies at the very end of that gas pipeline.....little ol Ireland!!!

Any thoughts?

[ho chi feen]

Russia is an up and coming power again

Not really- it's been the beneficiary of a major commodity boom upon which its economy is over-dependent.

It's also undergoing a spectacular demographic collapse I'm not sure of the figures, but I think their population is on course to decline by some 40m by 2050.

[RizzlaRebel]

Not really- it's been the beneficiary of a major commodity boom upon which its economy is over-dependent.

It's also undergoing a spectacular demographic collapse I'm not sure of the figures, but I think their population is on course to decline by some 40m by 2050.

Point taken but I think in today's world having oil & gas reserves in large quantities and the ability to defend yourself ie nukes means you have a lot of power!