Peace in our time
[video]
Posted on 08/16/2008 3:12:37 AM PDT by fightinJAG
Vladimir Putin's mastery checkmates the West Michael Binyon says Russia has been biding its time - but its victory in Georgia has been brutal and brilliant
President Saakashvili was forced to accept defeat yesterday as he signed a peace agreement that gives the Russian Army the right to patrol on Georgian soil.
In a critical amendment to the ceasefire drawn up by President Sarkozy of France, the Kremlin forced Mr Saakashvili to accept that Russian troops could control a buffer zone of Georgian territory up to 10km beyond the border of the breakaway region of South Ossetia.
Mr Saakashvili was humiliated further when the final text of the agreement, delivered personally by Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, removed a reference to Russian recognition of Georgia’s territorial integrity. It referred only to independence and sovereignty, a day after Ser-gei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, said that the world could forget about Georgia’s territorial integrity.
After signing the peace agreement, an emotional Mr Saakashvili said defiantly: “A significant part of Georgian territory remains under foreign military occupation. Never, ever will Georgia reconcile itself with the occupation of even one square kilometre of its territory.”
The US and the European Union appear to have compelled him to accept just that, at least temporarily, in a deal that, in effect, legitimises Russian occupation of Georgia.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
NOT GOOD
Dreadful for a whole host of reasons. Now Russia’s emboldened and the EU is terrified. Poland, God bless her, stands tall.
Check out the photos. The Russkies leveled Georgia’s newly upgraded military bases. There’s nothing but piles of rubble left.
Condi and Bush need to climb into holes over this. And, by the way, the whole of the European Union, should remember that old saying about, first they came for, etc. It very well WILL be them the next time russia decides to flex more muscle and ,apparently, it won’t be the US bailing them out next time—they better have a plan themselves.
And,
Officials say that these additional powers would expire as soon as a team of international monitors arrived to observe the ceasefire.
International monitors will be comprised and culled from which countries of the world? This is what the key is, IMHE.
The same idiots feel perfectly comfortable loudly condemning the “Russian aggressors” for war crimes.
So basically the Georgian military is scattering and letting its entire military be destroyed?
They are not fighting back? Not ambushing, blocking or trying to engage these armoured columns in any way.
NO IEDs, AT mines, roadblocks or RPG ambushes?
No delaying actions or defense of any sort?
They are abandoning all their hardware and bases and
folding like a cheap tent?
A “ceasefire” that is total occupation and surrender is no ceasefire, it is capitulation.
How can a “democracy” and it’s leader in that kind of predicament survive?
I support Georgia; just trying to figure out what is
really going on there and how this will end up.
Someone mentioned a few days ago we needed an ongoing live thread for new developments.
“Mr Saakashvili was humiliated further when the final text of the agreement, delivered personally by Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, removed a reference to Russian recognition of Georgia’s territorial integrity. It referred only to independence and sovereignty, a day after Ser-gei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, said that the world could forget about Georgia’s territorial integrity. “
It looks like the media WAS right when it stated that Rice forced the Georgians to accept Russian incursions into its territory anywhere and anytime.
Bush is a catastrophe and Rice is the executor of an idiotic and flawed foreign policy. Our credibility with Eastern Europe has been destroyed by Mr. Bush and we can look forward to more aggression in the future from Putin and pressure from dissidnet pro-Russian elements in all of Easstern Europe.
Great job Jorge!!! Maybe Mexico will be allowed to conduct military incursions into the U.S. next.
Clueless are those chumps who try to rationalize and apologize Russian war crimes with any argument.
Come on, is this true? Seriously.
That friggin Condi Rice again.
I tell you, she’s Red.
ping
Once they are there the Russian must leave.
Could be that these people are unworthy of our efforts to give them a Democratic government?
Yeah. In view of the war in Kosovo, bravely fought for moslems by the NATO/US, it is a cool statement.
Is Condi going to fly back and wave the agreement when she gets off the plane?
Bush is a catastrophe and Rice is the executor of an idiotic and flawed foreign policy. Our credibility with Eastern Europe has been destroyed by Mr. Bush and we can look forward to more aggression in the future from Putin and pressure from dissidnet pro-Russian elements in all of Easstern Europe.
The alternative being what? The Dem. speaker of the house doing exactly what to push back the Russian invasion. Obama has proposed something??
In your statement you just wine. I am so sick of people wining without taking any stand, without proposing a solution of their own.
In my mind there is not a lot we could do. The Russian timing is such that we are busy elsewhere. They also took advantage of the fact that we are also close to Presidential election (no president is going to commit troops against a major power this close to an election when their is no direct impact on the US). They (the Russians) have a lot to do with the problems in the middle east due to their support of Iran, that keeps us busy in Iraq while they cake walk over Georgia.
Another issue is if you were to meet the Russian aggression in Georgia. What do you do if they decide to use that as an excuse to take over Poland? The Europeans aren't set up to protect themselves. They can't make a decision to save their lives. We will get only an argument from them as to what to do about a Russian incursion into Poland.
My proposal. Russia has certainly put us on notice that they are not our friend. We need to secure Poland as part of NATO. We need major military installations in Poland to help protect their independence. In Georgia we take what we can get for the time being. We work geopolitically after we safeguard Poland to pressure Russia into leaving a majority Georgia alone. You're not going to get the full pre-incursion borders back unless your willing to declare war. With the current political climate here in the US I don't see how that is possible. Too many pacifists here who are willing to sell out anybody and everybody inorder to safe guard their own lives over the short term.
And who, exactly, is a "friend"? The one willing to get kicked around?
Too many pacifists here who are willing to sell out anybody and everybody inorder to safe guard their own lives over the short term.
And what about the abkhazi and ossetians, who just won't want to live in "georgia"? Bomb'em into submission, like serbs?
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