EDITORIAL
Russia Breaks its Word
The ink was not even dry on Russia’s France-brokered cease fire promise, so-called “president” Dmitri Medvedev having declared mission accomplished, and Russia was already violating it by sending yet another full-scale invasion into the defenseless city of Gori. It was reported that another column was headed for the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. Even if Russia does not intend to try to conquer all of Georgia, it looks for all the world like it intends to annex Gori, a city far outside Ossetia and part of Georgia proper.
Nobody can be surprised by this action. The Russian government itself is an utter charade, nothing more than a gang of KGB spies and friendly oligarchs who are running the country in the same way the mafia is run.
The nations of NATO have given Russia a final opportunity to resolve this crisis by negotiation and avoid confrontation. Russia has spit in NATO’s eye and proceeded in a the reckless manner of the USSR. Russia has totally humiliated the President of France, who personally brokered the cease fire, and thus polarized all of Europe against it. Russia has made it crystal clear that its word means nothing, that our words mean nothing, that it intends to recreate the Soviet empire by any means possible, as quickly as possible, come Hell or high water.
Now it is time for NATO to abandon negotiation and take resolute action to protect the flame of democracy in Georgia and prevent this neo-Soviet scourge from spreading. It must admit Ukraine as a member immediately, and provide it with all the weapons necessary to defend itself from the neo-Soviet threat. It must expel Russia from the G-8 immediately, and send a clear message to the people of Russia that their government’s actions are intolerable and that they stand utterly alone in the world.
Russia has crossed the Rubicon. NATO must issue the call to arms.
George Bush has taken the first step. Humanitarian aid is being rushed to Georgia aboard powerful U.S. Navy warships. Bush has issued a statement strongly condemning Russia’s duplicity. Now the president must gather the NATO allies and formulate an immediate coordinated response that will at minimum guarantee the integrity of Ukraine’s borders and hopefully force the Russians to back off their imperial conquest of Georgia, suffering dire international consequences if they do not.
La Russophobe 
100% agree with you! NATO should accept Georgia immediatelly, also olimpic games in Sochi, Russia, should be abolished!
As I said before, I wonder what the Kremlin’s reaction would be if there were a significant naval presence in the Black Sea?
It appears that we may soon find out.
LJ, NATO will never accept Georgia now, as NATO is controlled by the Western Europeans. And Moscow has them by the balls.
If anything is done, it will need to be the Americans who do it. As always. At great expense.
Instead of clamoring to join NATO, our Eastern European friends should form their own defensive collective. Maybe call it the Eastern European Treaty Organization. (EETO)
Does anyone know if there has ever been an American Battle Group in the Black Sea?
Russia does not realize that the powers that be are sending oil prices down.
Russia will be crushed not by bombs but by its dependency on high oil prices.
It will soon come begging to the world as it becomes not only morally bankrupt but also economically bankrupt.
Kim,
I was wanting to read your stuff but didn’t see you at Publius. I am glad I found you here.
LA RUSSOPHOBE RESPONDS: We are glad you did too! Publius had a whole bunch of horrible technical problems and is pretty much inactive now. Kim is publishing a lot on Pajamas Media, you can check here out there, and we have just moved in to WordPress from Blogger and will continue actively publishing here from now on. Welcome!
I was looking for some Russian press in English…. and I found this……
As an European, I am growingly dissapointed
with the increasing mediatic manipulation.
After having read your editorial and a few other comments I know clearly this is not the site I was looking for, however I thought I would leave you a post.
So just to share with you all what seems to be the most widly accepted view of the Russia – Georgia incident:
the pro-West Georgian president mis-calculated badly when he made the decision to invade the South Ossetia land. He possibly expected some help from the US, or from NATO, but unfortunately, the European view of South Ossetia being part of Georgia is far from agreed. In Europe, people have learnt the history lessons and are not that crazy to start an all-scale war just as a result of some politician of questionable reputation, in a territory where there are known problems of independentist character, and where Russia has a known interest, historic links and (apparently) full popular support.
Russia did what anyone in their circumstances would have done. They defended themselves when they were attacked in a territory under their influence and full popular support, and with peace-keepers presence. Thy just flexed their muscle, very briefly, and ended better than they were before.
Now the US is offering humanitarian aid that will be delivered by the US Army and Navy…..
Great, I am sure the people there will welcome all possible help, but here I think the UN should take the lead (but that is a topic for another day).
The problem with this US help is that nobody believes it is uninterested. We’ve just seen enough, you know?. Or shall we believe they will be sending two fleets with aircraft carriers and frigates without missiles and fighter jets?
Anything else will be a further provocation.
David,
After having lived in Europe for nearly 10 years your attitude is not surprising. I don’t expect very much help from “Old Europe”.
Brussels looks east with greed and they do covet what they do not have.
It is the same everywhere. Leave the heavy lifting for America, but demand equal footing for contracts after the dust has settled.
Europe has been very unhelpful for a long time. This is why the Eastern Bloc countries are a more natural friend to us. They still value their freedom having lived under the boot of authoritarian rule. To the average european authoritarians are completely valid rulers.
This is why I returned to american soil. You can keep your well ordered society and second-rate health care. I want my kids to know what it means to really be free from government interference.
BTW, our ships never deploy without being fully armed (I was there).
You don’t really believe it would take TWO carrier battle groups to achieve air supremecy do you? Remember, there are also friendly airfields relatively near.
The US military is not overextended. The Army is stretched a bit, that is all. But the army is not frequently used since occupation is generally shunned.
Good luck
Gori is Joseph Stalin’s birthplace. Even after the “Stalin’s personality cult” condemnation by Khrushchev, a monument to Stalin continued to stand there – the only one in the Soviet Union. The Russian military just wanted to lay flowers to that monument to their former Supreme Commander – quite an understandable wish. :))