In this image, made from television screen, what Russian First Channel claims - are burning Georgian armored vehicles are seen in Tskhinvali in the South Ossetian breakaway region of Georgia on Friday, Aug. 8, 2008.
"Look at the timing. Elections. Olympic games. Most of the statesman gone for holidays. It's the ideal time to attack a small country."
Georgia's president said Friday that his country is under attack by Russian tanks and warplanes, and he accused Russia of targeting civilians as tensions over the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia appeared to boil over into full-blown conflict. "All day today, they've been bombing Georgia from numerous warplanes and specifically targeting (the) civilian population, and we have scores of wounded and dead among (the) civilian population all around the country," President Mikhail Saakashvili told CNN in an exclusive interview."This is the worst nightmare one can encounter," he said. - Georgia 'under attack' as Russian tanks roll in - CNN.com
Video interview with the President at the link.
Interviewer: "What should the West and the United States do now?"
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili: "Wake up. Wake up. What is happening now is not about Georgia but about the basic values the US has always promoted. We are attacked because we wanted to be free...."
Overview and analysis at The Belmont Club, Trouble in the Caucasus
In any real clash with Russian airpower the Georgian Air Force could not long survive. But a strong Russian response would raise the risks of involving the United States. The Georgians have contributed troops to the US campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Georgian military has been rebuilt by US military trainers.... The geopolitical value of South Ossetia, a remote region in the foothills of the Caucasus, is negligible. It is hardly worth a serious conflict between Russia and Georgia, still less between Russia and NATO. But a wounded Russian pride and American responsibility towards a loyal ally make it a volatile situation worth watching.Posted by Vanderleun at August 8, 2008 8:34 AM | TrackBack
You can bet the MSM will say this is unexpected, showing yet again how ignoring crisis points can catch you off guard.
Posted by: Alan Kellogg at August 8, 2008 8:40 AMUnbelievable lies!!!!
Were was CNN,BBC,SkyNews and France24 24 hours ago when Georgia attacked the city using air bombers and artillery? Why they were absolutely silent while during the last night and day Georgian army killed hundreds of they own civilians and more then a dozen of peacekeepers? Only after 20 hours when Russia entered tanks to stop the aggression and killings ALL news channels suddenly came with huge banners "Russian tanks invades Georgia" and reports about "Russian attacks" in front of pictures of Georgian rocket launcher from a DAY AGO?! This very Very dirty "information" from so called "independent" news channels.
"While You've Been Watching the Campaign, Russia Has Invaded Georgia"
WHAT? Whats about 1400 civilians that was killed by Georgian artillery and airbombs several hours BEFORE russan troops entered Georgia to stop it!
Max,
I understand it is the custom in some parts of the world for angry young men to wave knives at duly constituted authorities. Here in America it is our custom to shoot young men who wave knives at duly constituted authorities. I hear the Republic of Georgia also follows that fine old custom.
Posted by: Alan Kellogg at August 8, 2008 2:44 PMSouth Ossetia isn't a de'facto part of Georgia, and hasn't been for 15 years. Unless they wanted a war (and they did), Georgia has no business in South Ossetia.
Georgia attacked while Putin was in Peking hoping that Russia would be too distracted or too embarrassed to react. There were already a 1,000 Russian troops in South Ossetia so Georgia attacked knowing they would clash with Russian troops already there.
Georgia is the aggressor here, not Russia.
Posted by: Travis at August 9, 2008 12:22 AMSouth Ossetia has been in a state of rebellion against the Republic of Georgia since the Soviet Union fell. I do not know the full story of how the region came to be included in the Republic of Georgia, but I do know that while Russia let Georgia go, Georgia has not let South Ossetia go. Georgia has a vested interest in the region, including strategic interests. So long as Russia continues to behave belligerently towards the republic, possession of South Ossetia gives an advantage to the party that holds it.
Frankly Travis, your post reeks of prevarication and misrepresentation. It has the sound of bitter recrimination and the feel of animosity. You lost the Cold War, you lost it bad. You lost it because of bad leadership and a flawed political and economic ideology. And the same stupidity that turned your country into a third world wreck cost you a lot of territory.
Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Georgia are all American allies because they can trust us. What do you do to earn anybody's trust? Do you really think that threats and bullying are going to make people believe in you? Maybe they'd act like it if you were the strongest kid on the block, but at this moment China could wipe the floor with you, and have enough left over to build a top rank rail system.
Got news for you, America gets involved, NATO gets involved. NATO gets involved you'd better damn well believe the war's gonna spread beyond the Caucasus. Riga falls to the Polish and St. Petersburg to the Finns. The U.S. takes Vladivostok. Meantime a combination of Hungarians and Ukrainians drive on Minsk as America sends troops and support to Georgia via Azerbaijan. Another ally of ours. Oh, and we've got the Turks to back us up if Armenia gets bitchy about things. (Remember when Armenians were heroes, before they tied their fortunes to Russia?)
Are you sure Russia would rally against such an invasion? Or have Putin and his butt monkeys so alienated the Russian people the whole rotten edifice would collapse at the touch of a zephyr?
Warn us off? You aint got crap.
Posted by: Alan Kellogg at August 9, 2008 3:17 AMYou seem to be the poster child for jingoism.
I am not Russian, Slavic, or even European so wipe the spittle from your face, and try to credit that not everyone who disagrees with your stance on politics is a 'dirty commie'.
The cold war is over and too many people have a yearning for the simpler days of yore. Those days are gone and we face a far more confused international scene and in some ways more dangerous.
People like you helped equip and finance Osama Bin Ladin and Al'Qaeda without consideration for what the future might hold. I would have thought that we would have learned something from 911. Instead we prattle on about the 'religion of peace' and sabotage Israel for the sake of a non existent roadmap.
I saw the same nonsense with the KLA and Kosovo, and the same rabid anti-Russian sentiments. We also saw the same attempts at attacks by our 'friends' the Kosovars at Fort Dix.
I know this is pointless because you see only what you wish to see, and hear only what you wish to hear. If the facts don't bolster your case you will dispose of them, or alter them as you see fit. Like the so-called 'Genocide' the MSM drummed up for Kosovo. If you repeat a lie long enough people start to believe it.
The world has moved on! The Soviet Union was defeated by Ronald Reagan. I know its only been 15 years but to try to keep up with the changes.
p.s. China is not our friend and we would do well to have an ally on their northern border if things go sour with them.
Posted by: Travis at August 9, 2008 9:23 AMTravis,
I agree with a lot of your points. I just wish Russia flexed its muscles against its Muslim neighbors instead of a fellow Christian state.
Posted by: Richard Lund at August 9, 2008 12:28 PMI would agree with that, but Georgia has been supporting Chechen terrorists as well as Al'Qaeda operatives in Northern Ossetia where we saw the Beslan massacre so my sympathy for them is somewhat limited.
I think we in the west have been backing the wrong horse too often, whether it is Osama Bin Ladin, the Kosovar Albanians, democratic elections that put Hamas into power, Bush giving the Taliban 40+ million dollars before 911, or American foundations playing footsies with Hizb ut-Tahrir a terror front organization in Central Asia (with loose nukes rumoured to be running around) supporting the Muslim Caliphate, etc.
"US Justice Department prosecutor John Loftus stated in a live interview with Fox News that along with Mohammed Aswat and Abu Hamza, Omar Bakri had been recruited by MI6 in the mid 90’s to draft up British Muslim’s to fight in Kosova."
Omar Bakri being a then member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, a so-called 'peaceful' muslim group.
“We arrested the New York branch of Al-Muhajiroun two years ago…The rest of the group is under surveillance. But the US was used by Al-Muhajiroun for training of people to send to Kosova. What ties all these cells together was, back in the late 1990’s, the leaders all worked for British intelligence in Kosova. Believe it or not, British intelligence actually hired some Al-Qaeda guys to help defend the Muslim rights in Albania and in Kosova. That’s when Al-Muhajiroun got started."
We are our own worst enemy!
The Russians helped us in the War On Terror with airbases (Manas, Farkhor, Khanabad), transit rights, etc and yet every time we try to screw over the people who should be our allies, and help the people who end up trying to kill us!
Posted by: Travis at August 9, 2008 1:34 PM"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated to combat spam and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.