Russia has blocked Georgian city access, digging trenches...

Boo Hoo. Georgia made her deals with the devil (Israel and U.S.) and now she has to pay the piper.

Just proves, U.N., EU, and NATO are all ineffectual organizations.

GO RUSSIA!!!!!!

looks like the sleeping bear woke up very cranky. i don't think it is "making fun of the world"..just the usa. putin means biz.

This has been building for the last year. Putin was just looking for the opportunity to take his stand.

Frankly, Russia wants to secure their pipeline routes and they don't want any 'freakin missle shields aimed at their country. Who can blame them?

Russia's Success in Caucasus is Bad News for Washington

By CLAUDE SALHANI (Editor, Middle East Times)Published: August 21, 2008

This latest crisis with the Republic of Georgia is the best thing that could have happened for Moscow since the break-up of the former Soviet Union. Flexing its muscles in the Caucasus has allowed Russia to send a number of messages to the world.

First, the Kremlin has reminded its former satellite states that they are not beyond the reach of Russian armed forces, even if they hope to eventually hide behind the NATO shield. Communism may well be an ideology of the past, and for better or for worse the Russians have discovered and adopted capitalism along with all its advantages and sins. Nevertheless, the Russians, with or without Soviet dogma, will not miss an opportunity to remind the world that they very much remain a force to be reckoned with, even if Russia has lost its stature of super power.


Right about now the Czechs and the Poles must be having second thoughts about allowing the United States to install a missile and radar system on their territories and upsetting Moscow along the way. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev have let their neighbors and their foes know that they will not allow Russia to be pushed around, and at the same time they have sent a message to others that Moscow is open for business, much as in the past.


Second, Moscow has demonstrated to Washington that it remains master of its destiny; that it remains unafraid of the hyper-power of the United States, which is allied to Georgia. The Russians did not hesitate to point out that the U.S. administration of President George W. Bush has no moral lessons whatsoever to give to Russia.


Responding to accusations that they have breached international law by invading Georgia, the Russians can remind the Americans that unlike Iraq, where the United States invaded a sovereign country without provocation, it was the Georgians who embarked upon this inexplicable and ill-fated military expedition.


It was an uncalculated Rambo-esque like affair that will end up costing the Georgians membership in NATO at the very least. It is highly questionable that the organization will now consider the inclusion of Georgia after its leaders demonstrated such blatant adventurism and lack of forward thinking.


Moscow also has been able to show the world that despite repeated calls by Washington and Brussels for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of its troops from Georgian territory, it will not accept to be pushed, bullied, threatened or cajoled into accepting a ceasefire, unless that request meets its terms.


Third, in the process of the preceding points, Russia has awakened long-dormant sentiments among some of its former friends who now see in Moscow a potential alternative to Washington as a powerbroker in the Middle East.


I hate to say "I told you so," but, well … I did tell you so. Writing in these pages just two days ago, this reporter made reference to the real and present danger to the United States in seeing a new schism take shape in the Middle East, pitting the Arab World against itself with some countries rushing headfirst to offer their support to the Russians.


Meanwhile, as some Arab leaders will opt to remain loyal to their alliance with the United States, or maybe take a wait and see attitude, others will feel the urge to be drawn toward Moscow, much like lemmings who finds themselves drawn to the sea.


Indeed, no sooner had the Russians shown their intention to reassert themselves as a major power and to not be ignored, than Syrian President Bashar Assad announced his intention of traveling to Moscow on Thursday to meet with Russian leaders.


This development will likely turn into a major setback for U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East where, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Washington was the undisputed powerbroker; the value of which the Bush administration failed to appreciate and understand, or yet try to take advantage of by reenergizing the stagnating Middle East peace process.


Instead, the U.S. administration chose to ignore the region entirely until the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and then afterwards shunned its major players, such as Syria.


Assad will not be the last Arab leader to fly to Moscow to offer his support to the Kremlin in return for Russian help. The end result will certainly make for a more complicated Middle East.


As the U.S. president prepares to vacate the White House in a little over 150 days, he leaves behind two unfinished wars; if you are thinking the situation cannot possibly get any worse, well, think again.

If an eagle would see a bear close to her nest, would she be cranky?.

Yep...the bear has been cranky for a long time and it doesn't look like he feels like smiling anytime soon.

Russia hatesGeorgia for her freedom.

Russia is pissed at Georgia for invading her space. Georgia needs to back the fuck off.

Go Russia where?

Russia ftw

The mortars mean no one in..no one out

You mean S.Ossetia? The Georgian separatist province which Russia refused to recognize as independent?

The only space that's been invaded is soveriegn Georgia territory.

gurdjiev:

"if one wants to speak english, one has to put a hot potato in one's mouth and speak one's own language. What listeners will hear, will be english."



i guess the hot potato phase 'll be over pretty soon

The United Nations, European Union, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Council of the European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and all other countries in the world recognize South Ossetia as part of Georgia. However, the de facto republic governed by the secessionist government held a second independence referendum[2] on November 12, 2006, after its first referendum in 1992 was not recognized by the international community as valid.[3] According to the Tskhinvali election authorities, the referendum turned out a majority for independence from Georgia where 99% of South Ossetian voters supported independence and the turnout for the vote was 95%[4] and the referendum was monitored by a team of 34 international observers from Germany, Austria, Poland, Sweden and other countries at 78 polling stations.[5] However, it was not recognized internationally by the UN, European Union, OSCE, NATO and the Russian Federation, given the lack of ethnic Georgian participation and the legality of such referendum without recognition from the central government in Tbilisi.[6] The European Union, OSCE and NATO condemned the referendum.

Parallel to the secessionist held referendum and elections, the Ossetian opposition movement (People of South Ossetia for Peace) to Eduard Kokoity, the current President of South Ossetia, organized their own elections in which both Georgian and some Ossetian inhabitants of the region voted in favour of Dmitry Sanakoyev as the alternative President of South Ossetia.[7] The alternative elections of Sanakoyev claimed full support of the ethnic Georgian population.

In April 2007, a "Provisional Administrative Entity of South Ossetia"[8][9][10][11] headed by ethnic Ossetians (former members of the separatist government) under the leadership of Dmitry Sanakoyev, was created by Georgia, which had retained control over part of South Ossetia's eastern and southern districts. This provisional administration would negotiate with central Georgian authorities regarding its final status and conflict resolution.[12] On May 10, 2007, Sanakoyev was appointed by the President of Georgia as the Head of South Ossetian Provisional Administrative Entity.

On July 13, 2007, Georgia set up a state commission, chaired by the Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli, to develop South Ossetia's autonomous status within the Georgian state. According to the Georgian officials, the status will be elaborated within the framework of "an all-inclusive dialogue" with all the forces and communities within the Ossetian society.[13]

On August 8, 2008, on the same day as the 2008 Olympic Games officially commenced, hostilities began between Georgian forces and South Ossetia's separatist forces. In response to the hostilities the Federation Council of Russia called an extraordinary session for August 25, 2008 to discuss recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.[14]

really. the more i hear about it all, i think of course putin was aware of isr and usa arming georgia, so he know they were up to no good right there in his backyard. i'd say he has been getting his tactical shit together and like you say, waiting for the chance. cause he sure is going straight at it now. i think he will do the first nuke strike, he's just waiting for the time to be right. this thing of the blockades and usa warships, the first shot, and there will be one, that's when it is going to get ugly real fast.

He (Putin) is a smart man, I think that he would know what would happen if he went nuclear. I think his general was talking out of turn.

i'm proud of him, bout time someone acted like a real man and stood up to the imperialist drag queen.

Putin won't take first strike. He will, retaliate however if there is a strike at Iran. He is making that absolutely crystal clear.

those were the old days, when they feared to go nuclear. i think there's some powerful countries that want to see the usa taken out, and russia's been elected to be the hitman. it doesn't have to be a rain on nukes, just a few could do the job. the other countries would help russia rebuild what ever got tore up from a counter strike. they may have even figured a way to avert that. don't underestimate how disgusted the leaders of countries have become with bush, and it looks like it's gonna be bushesque from here on in. who really is going to keep taking it from a bully over and over?

i mean do you people realize how dangerous the usa is? do you think the rest of the world leaders don't know what it has been up to? like they have to know about the bioweapons it has been using on its own people, these fuckers have let loose killer nanobots on people. yah, say yah right, then you're just naive. if you look at this thru american eys, you will not get the correct picture.e

If he is digging trenches he just may be setting up a first strike..but it won't be nuclear.