Posted on 08/11/2008 10:29:32 AM PDT by Bokababe
WARSAW -- Polish analysts and a part of the political scene are linking the South Ossetia crisis to that in Kosovo, Beta says.
The current armed conflict in the breakaway Georgian region is seen as the Russian answer to the western recognition of Kosovo Albanians' unilateral declaration of independence, the Polish media are saying.
"This is the Russian answer to the recognition of Kosovo. That recognition was in fact a gift to Russia," Polish People's Party European MP Janusz Wojciechowski told TVN24.
Wojciechowski, whose party is a partner in Donald Tusk's cabinet, warned that the case of Kosovo, where a part of the international community accepted the declaration of secession, "shows that it cannot be counted on double standards to pass".
"Russia is using it now", he concluded.
Warnings that the recognition of Kosovo will serve to the detriment of Georgia were heard in Poland as early as February this year.
Bearing in mind the risks for Poland's allies in the Caucasus, Georgia above all, Warsaw's recognition of the Kosovo Albanians' secession was described as an irresponsible move by the legendary anti-communist leader and former Polish president, Lech Walesa.
"Recognizing Kosovo will bring nothing but trouble. No one can be denied the right to self-determination, but only within the bounds of common sense," he was quoted as saying at the time.
Walesa stressed in his statements to the Polish media that Kosovo was "with its irresponsible behavior, causing new divisions in Europe and globally and undermining international relations".
I don’t think NATO limited it’s operations only to targets inside Kosovo. Didn’t we bomb Belgrade? Or am I wrong?
Not that it matters. It looks to me like Georgia overplayed its hand badly, giving Russia a useful pretext to reassert itself in the region.
Is there any chance Georgia is participating in an oil pipeline project that would bypass Russia?
If that's the case, we better get our women to all wear hajabs and everyone convert to Islam, then pass sharia law. That's what its going to take to appease the radical muslims.
Our Country, and Europe, are being prepared for just that right now.
BJ Clinton’s screw up of Kosovo continues to pay negative dividends and will for many years to come.
"South Ossetians nearly unanimously approved a referendum on November 12, 2006 opting for independence from Georgia. The referendum was hugely popular, winning between 98 and 99 percent of the ballots, flag waving and celebration marked were seen across South Ossetia, but elsewhere observers were less enthusiastic. International critics claimed that the move could worsen regional tensions, and the Tblisi government thoroughly discounted the results."
So if Georgia had a right to split from Russia (which I agree that it did), then why doesn't S. Ossetia have the same right? It has apparently been an autonomous province for a long time, and the Ossetians even have their own language. They aren't "invaders" from somewhere else trying to steal territory, they are simply claiming the right to decide who they want to ally themselves with.
Everyone seems to forget that Georgia initiated this military action by attacking S. Ossetian civilians and peacekeepers in a region that had been peaceful for a number of years. As for why the Russians are "striking deep into the heart of Georgia", the answer is to teach Georgians a lesson. I may not like that lesson, but I understand it.
A better question would be: "Why did Georgia attack, given she knew that her odds were that she would fare badly in this fight against Russia?" To me, that is the $64,000 question. Did she think that the US or NATO would ride in on a white horse to save her?
Because it can!
Whos going to den the bear, is the question that Putin is asking everyone. Their tanks have invaded Georgia proper and laid waste to several towns.
Now, knowing full well that he was vulnerable, why did Saakashvili put his people into this mess? Was he not thinking? He could have waited till he got NATO accession!
The clintons remain inscrutable in most cases because they are very good at covering up and suppressing evidence. Can you say Vince Foster? That doesn’t mean we won’t one day know more of their shenanigans than we know now, it just means they have to this point covered their tracks remarkably well. Still, inquiring minds want to know.
The South Ossetians fired artillery at the Georgians from the safety of a city. The Georgians - not as copacetic in their own destruction as Olmert's Israel - fired back. Hence the talk of massacres and so forth, when in fact the Ossetians are wearing their own civilians as body armor.
This tactic - of firing from the midst of civilian concentrations - has been made infamous by Hamas, Hezbollah and so on. It's not surprising to see Russian agents using the same tactic - the KGB made Arafat, and the KGB (with no name change) are running South Ossetia today.
There’s only about 100,000 or so people who live in this province. Should part of North Dakota be allowed to break off from the U.S.? How about these Native Americans that want to break off in South Dakota? As Lech Walesa said when Kosovo broke off. Everyone should be allowed self determination within reason.
The real reason is not for them to become their own country. The eventual reason is to become part of Russia and for Russia to destablize Georgia because they want Georgia, Ukraine, Bellarus et al.. back...
I agree, and I can’t wait...
In Red Dawn the enemy poured across the Mexican border. Hmmmm....
The "reason" was to encroach on Slavic space that we see as potentially being the "traditional Russian sphere of influence" and bait Russia by planting the second largest US military structure in the world Camp Bondsteel, on Serbian soil, without Serbia's permission.
The plans were on the table for building Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, even prior to the 1999 NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia. And Bondsteel started going up right after the bombing. That's why, in retrospect, Bush HAD to grant Kosovo independence, after the fact. We weren't going to tear Bondsteel down and we couldn't have a military base on Serbia's soil without her permission -- so the solution was to steal the land from Serbia and give it to the Albanians who liked having us in the neighborhood to use against the Serbs.
Yes, it really was that cynical.
So you’re saying that Bush had no choice. Well Camp Bondsteel needs to come down just as the Ruskies need to leave Georgia. If Albania wants us in the area, we need to start negotiating a SOFA with them and build a base there. In fact, a base there would be better than in Kosovo because we have access to the Adriatic sea.
Earlier in the year when Bush’s state department recognized Kosovo I was flabbergasted and could not understand why. This may help explain things.
Have you got any links on this? Because everything I am reading, including the anti-Russia stuff, is saying that Georgia started it.
I am just coming up to speed on the Georgia/ S. Ossetia/Russia political situation. I am far from expert on it. I am, however, determined to take a fair look at it without knee-jerk assuming things or grabbing on to old stereotypes and assuming that they apply here.
Actually, Bush had a choice between "being ethical" -- or "riding that Kosovo horse in the direction that it was already going even if it was off a cliff."
He chose the latter.
That's why it would not shock me to see a US hand in what's going with Georgia & Russia. Georgia would have had to be completely insane to have started this fight with Russia, without some behind the scenes plan for saving itself.
This is kind of rich, coming from Poland...
Yes, I was reading something about that yesterday. I'll see if I can find the links.
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