Yes noticed those in the free West? Me neither.
While the Daily Telegraph reporting that Russia is moving more troops into Georgia, essentially ignoring the French brokered ceasefire which Russia "pledged to implement" and which Georgia signed, it is becoming clear Moscow is prepared to lie and do as it wishes in what it sees as its sphere of influence. Russia is clearly uninterested in respecting Georgia's borders - it knows that it is highly unlikely that the West would intervene on the side of Georgia.
President Bush said: "Only Russia can decide whether it will now put itself back on the path of responsible nations or continue to pursue a policy that promises only confrontation and isolation," Which also followed the US and Poland agreeing to extend the US anti-missile shield to that country.
Russia subsequently threatened a nuclear strike on Poland with the Russian deputy chief of staff General Anatoly Nogovitsyn saying, according to the Daily Telegraph "By hosting these, Poland is making itself a target. This is 100 per cent certain. It becomes a target for attack. Such targets are destroyed as a first priority."
Oh and back to the main point - there have been anti war protests, in Russia AGAINST the government. The liberal Yabloko party's youth wing held them according to the St Petersburg Times. Good for them, very brave.
Funny how more Russians can protest their own government than the leftwing anti-American peace movements in the USA, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Funny how none of them march against Russia, burning Russian flags, calling for Russia out of Georgia, calling for no threat to Poland. Shows your how much the peace movement cares for peace - isn't that right Green Party?
11 comments:
Too true--and when you point this out to a leftist, the only response they are likely to offer is 'where are the right-wing protesters?".
In truth, they have no answer for their hypocrisy and double standards, because the "peace" movement is merely anti-Americanism disguised as a moral stance.
Useful idiots indeed.
Good on the Russians. They didn't start this war in Georgia but they'll finish it. It's a shame the US is reverting to form and waging proxy wars against Russia. US thinking is that what's bad for Russia is good for the US and vice a versa. That's a shame given all the progress the US has made in Iraq. At least Russia is in a position to flip both middle fingers at the US and say "How do you like them apples?".
The way the US press bangs on you would think the Cold War never ended and Russia was about to invade Washington.
Note Russia is both a democracy with a capitalist economy. Both good attributes.
End of the day Georgia started this conflict. The pictures out of South Ossetia about that attack indicates that it was extensive and damaging.
Georgia deserves everything coming to it from Russia.
OECD Rank, look at a map. Now look at which country South Ossetia is in? Doesn't a country have a right to defend its territory?
End of the day, it was just a minor detail. Russia didn't want Georgia to join NATO, and in some regards, the Cold War is still carrying on. Furthermore, do you really believe the bs that Russia is a democracy? Let me see, the Russian Government has poisoned its opponents, restricted their rights and done things that democracies do not do.
"Note Russia is both a democracy with a capitalist economy. Both good attributes.'
It's neither.
"End of the day Georgia started this conflict."
No they didn't.
OECD- Yes the Russians didn't start it, but they grossly overreacted. Gori is where? Not in South Ossetia or Abkhazia, Russia is striking well into Georgian territory.
Yes Russia is a thriving democracy, where the goverment controls the media, regulates public protests and assassinates political opponents. It is a capitalist society with little rule of law, a judicial system easily bought and sold. You are grossly deluded if you think Russia has a free and open government anything close to what prevails in even the most corrupt EU countries.
Georgia is not innocent, but Russia is a bully and a semi-fascist state. It is a kleptocratic regime bent on expansionism, and which bemoans the end of the USSR - get your rose tinted glasses off. There may have been justification to prevent Russian citizens from being attacked, but the response has been overwhelming. Russia has lied - it is time it was told that it cannot annex the territory of its neighbours.
OECD- Yes the Russians didn't start it, but they grossly overreacted. Gori is where? Not in South Ossetia or Abkhazia, Russia is striking well into Georgian territory.
Yes Russia is a thriving democracy, where the goverment controls the media, regulates public protests and assassinates political opponents. It is a capitalist society with little rule of law, a judicial system easily bought and sold. You are grossly deluded if you think Russia has a free and open government anything close to what prevails in even the most corrupt EU countries.
Georgia is not innocent, but Russia is a bully and a semi-fascist state. It is a kleptocratic regime bent on expansionism, and which bemoans the end of the USSR - get your rose tinted glasses off. There may have been justification to prevent Russian citizens from being attacked, but the response has been overwhelming. Russia has lied - it is time it was told that it cannot annex the territory of its neighbours.
"it cannot annex the territory of its neighbours".
If Russia wanted to annex Georgia it would have been done already. As my Russian friends keep telling me, decapitation strikes are what the US does, not something Russia does. If Russia had wanted Mikheil Saakashvili dead, his corpse would be well and truly rotten and deposing by now.
Did you see the news reports about all the weapons Russia had confiscated from the Georgian military(second hand tanks and APCs plus M16's) and intends to absorb them into the Russian army? How long do you think it will take for the US to bankroll replacements? Situation normal within one year?
Yes, Russia is still in transition from communism to capitalism. Funnily enough, after the Yeltsin years, the Russian people chose order over chaos. That's their choice, not some Washington elite, disappointed that they have no decent enemies to fight anymore(Apart from perhaps China, but that's Christmas future).
Incidentally I'm not some deranged leftie that thinks everything the US does is bad and anyone who checks their power, no matter how vile, is good. I just appreciate that nation states value self interest above lasting friendship between states. Friend today, enemy tomorrow.
Russia rocks. The US less so.
"bent on expansionism"
Now where have I heard that before? I seem to recall some gun emplacements littered around the New Zealand coastline because the Tsar of Russia spent every last waking moment planning to invade New Zealand in the late 1800's for the simple desire of ruling the colonials with an iron fist. A beat up then and a beat up now.
NATO is expanding towards Russia, not the other way around. Considering what the freedom loving Germans did to Russia and it's people circa 1941-1945 it shouldn't be surprising if Russia views NATO intentions with more than a little distrust.
Considering what the freedom loving Russias did to Poland, Czechoslovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Mongolia, north Korea and Afghanistan between 1945 and 1985, it shouldn't be surprising that most of those countries view NATO membership as an insurance policy against a country that fathered and nurtured the longest running totalitarian dictatorship in modern history.
Or was the Red Army a benign liberating force that didn't create an Iron Curtain, didn't impose its own puppets in its neighbouring states.
Yes, sorry that open free media, open right to protest, free and fair elections and transparent accountable government in Moscow fooled me - I guess commissioning thugs to murder political opponents in the UK shouldn't make anyone wary.
What aggressive ideology is Russia trying to peddle to the rest of the world in 2008?
We must support Chelsea FC? Only Russian gas will keep us warm in winter, Norwegian gas is inferior?
The cold war is over. Competition between large nuclear power nation states is not.
I'm aware that Russia is hardly a bastion for Libertarians ideals, but the country is still a work in progress. The collapse of the USSR wasn't planned, just inevitable.
As for protest, why don't you rock on down to Parliament Square in London, protest Brian Haw style without seeking permission from the relevant UK authorities and see how far that gets you.
Who did poison Alexander Litvinenko? If you have some concrete evidence rather than suspicions then you might want to notify the relevant authorities (The same people you are getting permission to protest from).
Oh snap!!:
Georgia accused of Ossetia war crimes
Those naughty Georgians.
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