tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893665144141962944.post8307523282250684276..comments2024-01-25T15:09:03.714-08:00Comments on Whiskey's Place: Russia's War on Georgia: It's Not the Cold War, It's WorseWhiskeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01854764809682029464noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893665144141962944.post-81168661070648817592008-12-18T19:15:00.000-08:002008-12-18T19:15:00.000-08:00Ghost, you're just plain wrong.Ghost, you're just plain wrong.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893665144141962944.post-78308402621925938042008-08-16T23:21:00.000-07:002008-08-16T23:21:00.000-07:00Anon, in the case of Iraq, the US made an either-o...Anon, in the case of Iraq, the US made an either-or threat, which Saddam believed would not happen because the French would delay in the UN (as promised by Chirac). Either allow the inspectors in or get invaded.<BR/><BR/>The entire affair was conducted in super-slow motion, the invasion of Iraq was hardly a surprise. As it turned out, Saddam (according the Duelfer Commision) could not afford to let the inspectors in because he feared they would turn up ... no great stocks of WMDs. Which in turn would leave him vulnerable to attack by his Iranian neighbor.<BR/><BR/>I am not *entirely* unsympathetic to the strategic dilemma that Putin finds himself in, i.e. the need to demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that Russia is dangerous and should not be attacked by dangerous people, i.e. the Iranians, AQ, Chechens, etc.<BR/><BR/>But clearly, Putin's Georgian adventure has been unwise from his own perspective. He has exposed critical deficiencies that the Pentagon, and Chinese, are studying intently (poor air support, inability to suppress their own designed and supplied air defense system, when they have the men who built them on call!) Not to mention the disaster with Russian capital ships in the Black Sea shocked by a Georgian night attack with close to shore patrol boats.<BR/><BR/>Putin convinced the leaders and people of the Ukraine, Poland (with the nuking threat), Hungary, Bulgaria, Belorussia, Latvia, Lithunia, Estonia, and Romania that they are "next" and made installation of the anti-Iranian ballistic missile defenses a done deal. Along with frantic re-arming by those nations, and the stirrings of fear in Germany. Wonder of wonders, Germany is talking of reforming it's military. Only talk, but inconceivable before Georgia.<BR/><BR/>All for control of the Georgian pipeline.<BR/><BR/>Not a good trade by my accounting.<BR/><BR/>[I'll have a post soon on the strategic concerns of Russia, China, the US, and Europe on how technology has eroded their military dominance over poorer nations and groups, and how each has responded.]Whiskeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01854764809682029464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893665144141962944.post-58777352446718276902008-08-12T20:22:00.000-07:002008-08-12T20:22:00.000-07:00Ummm....Iraq?Ummm....<BR/><BR/>Iraq?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893665144141962944.post-37835204825608045232008-08-11T15:12:00.000-07:002008-08-11T15:12:00.000-07:00Sorry but I think it's a bit rich to complain abou...Sorry but I think it's a bit rich to complain about Russian "brute force" when Georgia was the one who attacked first. Georgia is hardly an innocent victim here.Ghosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05160118520611754510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893665144141962944.post-47584756149549114752008-08-11T01:23:00.000-07:002008-08-11T01:23:00.000-07:00As an avid military historian, i've been studying ...As an avid military historian, i've been studying this conflict exhaustively. the time old Russian principle of "brute force" is again coming to the fore. Putin and Medvedev are nothing more than gangsters, and - according to columnist Ralph Peters (his latest in this past Sat NY Post) - this entire thing was premeditated by the Russians. <BR/><BR/>How to help a country that has committed troops to fight in Iraq that are now being pulled back to help stem the Ivan tide? Drudge now has a headline reading "Georgians plead for Assistance" What can Bush do - pledge military assistance to Georgia and risk World War III? There are some that think this is just a set-up for military action against the Ukraine in the near future? Where is Europe? Have they all lost their balls post-1945? The pendulum has swung too far the other way. England and France had their spirit so broken during World War I because of the great bloodletting in battles like Verdun, the Somme, Passchendaele, etc., that they tolerated and help create the situation that confronted them in the late 1930's with Hitler and a rearmed and remilitarized Germany. Actually, we could use some good old fashioned German militarism about now but post-1945 they've been imitating the French so much you could call them de-facto Frenchmen. <BR/><BR/>Have to give Sarkozy credit though, he's a stand up guy and - by all accounts - got in Putin's face about this whole thing. More than what Merkel has done.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com