COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Saturday, August 09, 2008

Georgia: morning update




Strategic Forecasting yesterday:

Strategically, we said Russia would respond to Kosovo’s independence, and they have. Russia is now declaring the Caucasus to be part of its sphere of influence. We have spoken for months of how Russia would find a window of opportunity to redefine the region. This is happening now.

All too familiar with the sight of Russian tanks, the Baltic countries are terrified of what they face in the long run, and they should be. This is the first major Russian intervention since the fall of the Soviet Union. Yes, Russia has been involved elsewhere. Yes, Russia has fought. But this is on a new order of confidence and indifference to general opinion. We will look at this as a defining moment.

The most important reaction will not be in the United States or Western Europe. It is the reaction in the former Soviet states that matters most right now. That is the real audience for this. Watch the reaction of Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Nagorno-Karabakh and the Balts. How will Russia’s moves affect them psychologically?

The Russians hold a trump card with the Americans: Iran. They can flood Iran with weapons at will. The main U.S. counter is in Ukraine and Central Asia, but is not nearly as painful.

Tactically, there is only one issue: Will the Russians attack Georgia on the ground? If they are going to, the Russians have likely made that decision days ago.

Focus on whether Russia invades Georgia proper. Then watch the former Soviet states. The United States and Germany are of secondary interest at this point.
Telegraph.co.uk today

Russian forces have invaded the Georgian province of Abkhazia hours after taking control of most of South Ossetia, said Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Georgia reports new air attack near capital.

Russian military aircraft also raided the Georgian town of Gori on Saturday. An Associated Press reporter who visited Gori shortly after the bombing saw several apartment buildings in ruins, some still on fire, and scores of dead bodies and bloodied civilians. The elderly, women and children were among the victims.

It is the worst outbreak of hostilities since the province won de facto independence in a war against Georgia that ended in 1992.

The fighting threatens to ignite a wider war between Russia and Georgia, which accused Russia of bombing its towns, ports and air bases. Georgia, a former Soviet republic with ambitions of joining NATO, has asked the international community to help end what it called Russian aggression.

_______________________

To our friends and allies:

I'm sorry, my friends, most likely you're on your own. There's very little that we can do to help you. The Euros were decimated by last century's wars and the US is tapped out in South Asia and Iraq. There's no will in the West for resisting slow incremental bear attacks. Like any herd in the wild, an occasional sacrifice on the periphery is seen as the cost of survival for another day. Of course, those in closest proximity to the predator are certainly more anxious than those more removed from the dining...

No, I'm afraid there will simply be more denunciations followed by nothing.

22 comments:

  1. You may want to bookmark this link for a while:

    Georgia Daily

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  2. Russia says Ukraine helping Georgia
    August 9, 2008
    Reuters

    Russia accused Ukraine on Saturday of encouraging Georgia to carry out "ethnic cleansing" in the separatist region of South Ossetia by providing arms, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

    "The Ukrainian government, which has been enthusiastically arming Georgian troops from top to bottom, was in fact encouraging Georgia to attack and carry out ethnic cleansing in South Ossetia," the ministry said in a statement on its website www.mid.ru.

    It added that ex-Soviet Ukraine had "no moral right to teach others how to do things."

    (Reporting by Tanya Ustinova, writing by Amie Ferris-Rotman)

    ReplyDelete
  3. So the RUSSIANS are foreign OCCUPIERS..

    Settlers in someone else's lands...

    So SiNCE the RUSSIANS support the right's of the fake nationalistic people called Palestine it's only FAIR and right that the Georgians start IED'ing and suicide bombing Russians in Moscow..

    Sorry folks, those that supported the palios are having their own chickens coming home to roost..

    For 50 years the Russians (and others) supported the evil Palestinians national use or terror as a weapon...

    I will LAUGH (T keep your proof text nitwit comments to yourself) as I watch those Immoral peoples of the world society's get struck down by the VERY thing they supported against my people

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  4. WiO: So the RUSSIANS are foreign OCCUPIERS..

    True, but I'm so sick of America being called an Evil Empire by the Islamo-Euros, they can deal with their neo-expansionist Russian tarbaby all by their lonesome. No more "containment" theories. Besides, maybe Russia will draw al-Qaeda fire if they take over enough of these little satrapies in the Caucusus.

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  5. Would this help McCain?

    Lieberman ‘on McCain short-list’
    By Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington
    Published: August 9 2008 00:35 | Last updated: August 9 2008

    Joe Lieberman, the former Democratic vice-presidential nominee who has endorsed John McCain, is being vetted as a potential running mate for the Republican presidential hopeful, according to an adviser to Mr McCain’s ­campaign.

    Mr Lieberman, who has campaigned for the Arizona senator, has long been ­considered an unconventional but plausible choice for Mr McCain.

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  6. Lieberman would be the final nail in the coffin of the McCain Evangelical vote. First of all he's not a born again Christian. He voted no on a constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. He co-sponsored the bill giving gay and lesbian federal workers domestic partner benefits. He tried to end job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. He gets an "F" from the NRA. He voted against enshrining flag worship in the Constitution. In 2004 he said, "I support affirmative action programs, including in appropriate instances consideration of race and gender in government contracting decisions, when the affirmative action program is designed to remedy the effects of past discrimination."

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  7. I feel the same way about this election as I do the Russia/Georgia war. Somewhere south of "unleashed" pets, and the price of cauliflower. It just don't Resonate; you know?

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  8. Mankind's baser instincts getting

    old.

    old.

    old.

    Human condition is hopeless (Republicans) but not critical (Democrats).

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  9. teresita said...
    Lieberman would be the final nail in the coffin of the McCain Evangelical vote. First of all he's not a born again Christian.

    By McCain adding an observant jew to his ticket (one that has principals, ethics, been vetted and is respected by MANY of the Evangelical) who is a INDEPENDENT DEMOCRAT (in the tradition of Scoop Jackson) McCain will add Evangelicals, the Hillery Dem's and a whole FLOCK of in the MIDDLE Independents..

    total BRILLIANCE

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  10. I somewhat agree, Evangelicals are much more pro-Israel than most non-Jews. The problem is most Jews will not vote Republican. Evangelical Republicans are not going to vote for Obama. Conservative Republicans, other than Rufus, are not going to vote for Obama. Jews will not vote for Republicans accept for the Elephant tribe. Thank God for them.

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  11. Hell, I'm voting for Paris Hilton. She's the only one I've heard make the slightest bit of sense.

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  12. 2164th said...
    I somewhat agree, Evangelicals are much more pro-Israel than most non-Jews. The problem is most Jews will not vote Republican. Evangelical Republicans are not going to vote for Obama. Conservative Republicans, other than Rufus, are not going to vote for Obama. Jews will not vote for Republicans accept for the Elephant tribe. Thank God for them.

    Jews vote historically for the DEM in the high 90% (me included)

    We do not LOVE the party of the ethnic comm's (thanks tricky dick), the GOP historically has not been a friend of the Jews...

    From enemy lists to the famous james baker's statements the list of GOP screwing the jewish state is long and well documented (including Bush 43's call for an independent Palestinian state, the 1st in the history of the USA)

    However than being said, MANY Jews (and MOST israelis) see the false messiah (who sat in a church for 22 years that claims jesus was a black palio and that modern day Israelis are nazis and colonizers and that the modern palios are the true jews) as a liar, evil Bowtie Louie incantation...

    Today, Jewish support for McCain is running about 35%, that is astonishing and will continue to increase every time the false messiah opens his scripted mouth and speaks...

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  13. The more I think about it, the more I like it.

    I'm on-board.

    McCain Lieberman

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  14. I don't see Leiberman bringing enough votes to the ticket. Also, given McCain's age, much as I like Leiberman, I wouldn't want him assuming the role. Yes, he's too liberal.

    Comedian Bernie Mac dead at 50. Died of pneumonia. Suffering from inflammatory lung diease, scardoidosis.

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  15. 2164th said...
    You may want to bookmark this link for a while:

    Georgia Daily

    EXCELLENT RESOURCE

    THANKS

    ReplyDelete
  16. WiO: By McCain adding an observant jew to his ticket...

    If you're all about Jewish identity politics this year, how about Representative Eric Cantor R VA-7)? He actually votes with the GOP 93% of the time.

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  17. I like the McCain/Lieberman idea too. Not a perfect world but better than the alternative.

    Lieberman being a heart beat away from the Presidency is still a better deal than a President Hussein Obama.

    The Christian Right, including me, is of late not thinking so much of who supports what or who voted for or against what, but instead how to prevent the Marxist from getting elected. Period.

    So what ever it takes.

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  18. Gag Reflex: The Christian Right, including me, is of late not thinking so much of who supports what or who voted for or against what, but instead how to prevent the Marxist from getting elected. Period

    The philosophy of Karl Marx, who said, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" ? Yes, God forbid we should follow the Church in the book of Acts:

    Acts.2:[45] And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

    Acts.4:[35] And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

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  19. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  20. teresita said...
    WiO: By McCain adding an observant jew to his ticket...

    If you're all about Jewish identity politics this year, how about Representative Eric Cantor R VA-7)? He actually votes with the GOP 93% of the time.

    Actually T once again your full of crap...

    If you took the time to read the complete statement as well as many others you'd learn that I call my self a Scoop Jackson /Lieberman democrat...

    I do not vote for people because they share my tribe. PERIOD

    I VOTE for people that i think will keep america great and safe...

    but again, nice job of CUT and PASTE, we call that proof texting, trying to find select words out of context to try to make your inane point...

    context...

    complete context.

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