Russia 'strengthens occupation' despite claims of withdrawal

Times Online ^ | August 17, 2008 | Tony Halpin and David Byers

[El Gato]

Did he indicate "why" he thought they were wearing their enemies' uniforms?

See my post#40 for one possibility.

[El Gato]

homosexual icon. Vlad’s a fag of the hotboots.com variety.

Then there is what surely was once a fairly nice looking babe, especially by Russian standards, going to waste. Somehow they managed to have two daughters now about 23 and 21

That's Ludmilla Putin, Vlad's wife, with Laura Bush. (That was in better times, October 2002).

Now however, Putin has been linked romantically with this lady, wife or no wife.

Alina Kabaeva born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in '83 (making her three years *younger* than my younger daughter, and only two years older than his older daughter.)

So he's a Bastid and a Dirty Old Man.

[El Gato]

I did read that the US advisors in Georgia were Green Beret detachments.

Training foreign troops *is* their job after all.

Especially for "irregular" warfare. :)

[rmlew]

Alina Kabaeva is a rythmic gymnast. I’ve seen her perform. Putin is evil, but I appreciate his choice of mistress.

[ichabod1]

I don’t know if he’s literally a homosexual, but I bet he gets a thrill running up his leg at the latest in the finely polished thigh-high jackboot and Sam Browne belt. And the photos of him gay fly fishing could not have appealed to anyone but the Out crowd.

[demshateGod]

“Putin intends to take back all the countries of the old Soviet Union, one at a time.”

This is not a rhetorical or sarcastic question so please don’t go into defense of flame mode: Do you really think he is? It’s hard for me to believe he’s sitting around thinking, “I bet the west wouldn’t be able or willing to stop me from taking back the Soviet Union.” I concede that I could have a key factor missing in the equation. Please inform me.

It sure seems that he’s feeling the west out, seeing how we, and the other former Soviets respond.

Based on my limited but modest observation, I believe the Russians were angry about Kosovo and want to show the west they could do the same thing.

Honestly, I’m afraid if he did want to take the old Soviet states the west wouldn’t do much save mild sanctions. It would be up to Poland, Ukraine, Romania, etc to defend themselves. Georgia is proof. If Russia starts bombing Tblililslljae later today the president, Condi, Sarkozy, etc. will whip out the old “I’m deeply concerned” rhetoric

[OldNavyVet]

Every day, this looks more like 1956 Hungary.

Via Google, we have ...

After announcing a willingness to negotiate a withdrawal of Soviet forces, the Politburo changed its mind and moved to crush the revolution. On 4 November, a large Soviet force invaded Budapest and other regions of the country. Hungarian resistance continued until 10 November. An estimated 2,500 Hungarians died, and 200,000 more fled as refugees. Mass arrests and denunciations continued for months thereafter. By January 1957, the new Soviet-installed government had suppressed all public opposition. These Soviet actions alienated many Western Marxists, yet strengthened Soviet control over Central Europe, cultivating the perception that communism was both irreversible and monolithic.

[AprilfromTexas]

I think they are ticked over kosovo too, but may also be planning to ‘acquire’ the land to the Iranian border, (their ally in middle east nuclear proliferation) to eventually control most of the world’s oil reserves (and strait of hormuz). Control of the world’s energy supply would give them control of the world...just a thought.

[firewalk]

.

[Dustbunny]

Yep, I truly believe he wants to revive the old Soviet Union and regain one at a time, all the countries that became independent after Ronald Reagan ended the cold war.

Putin is KGB, has always been KGB, the KGB has always been the underground government of Russia. The new President is a puppet.

The only hope is to allow the countries that are now free of Russian control to join NATO.

[hattend]

Russia lied, people died.

[redgolum]

Russia is not pulling out. We know that (I mean the State Dept.)

But with the Ukraine and Poland signing on to the missile shield, it looks like the front will move West soon enough.

[JulienBenda]

Yep, this is blow-back from Kosovo, among other venues (Serbia proper, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Poland, other eastern European countries, Baltics, moves into Central Asia). I think folks in Washington and Brussels thought that the bear was still too ill to defend itself, but they are about to be even more surprised, I’d say. Just imagine for a moment that we were half-beaten (won’t happen, but imagine for the analogy), and, say, China decided to take Taiwan, South Korea, Japan (although it had promised us it wouldn’t), then moved to put missiles in Canada, with a radar station in Cuba, as well as training of the militaries of Mexico and Guatemala—you get the picture—we would be mad has heck and as soon as we began to feel well again, we’d pick the first fight possible with the Chinese, and win it. That’s exactly what Russia has done with the West, starting in Georgia/Gruzia, now that it’s done being pushed around and declared prematurely ‘dead’. Is anyone truly surprised?? Only the truly hypocritical or super-jingoistic in the West would be at all surprised. It sort of shocks me how sub-Archie Bunker some of those in the West react. I guess you can’t blame Brzezinski too much, with his in-born hatred of the Russkis, but others who try to play Socrates or Solomon on some issues in the world, then suddenly revert to forgetting what the West has done to the bear for the last 18 years and sound like Archie on steroids, well then, you have the neo-cons, I guess. “Payback is hell” is a slogan those pundits should keep in mind these days as the bear is finished licking its wounds and now starts swinging for anyone or anything in its way.

The next move is Sevastopol in the Crimean Peninsula. Was Russian till ‘54, if I’m not mistaken. It’s like if we made the District of Columbia suddenly part of Virginia (because a Virginian became President), then Virginia became independent, and took D.C. along with them into their independent status—well, I bet the Union would want D.C. back from the “new confederates”, right?

Then the next move is Poland, and this is where President McCain could go ballistic, literally. A President Obama would negotiate, much to the pleasure of the Kremlin. One puts us up against a resurgent Russian Empire, the other rolls over Jimmy Carter-style. Both options don’t sit well with me.

Making Russia “feel the pain” in the financial sphere could well backfire, or at least not have the desired effect, I’m afraid. It might work, we could try it. But this again is just falling for a sort of Putin trap, I’d guess. (No martial arts or much chess skill here; just a hunch—>I agree with others who say that this is where they might try somehow to “fire back” by getting others to dump dollars, etc.)

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Let's see if I can put your thoughts into a more concise statement: It's all our fault. How's that?

[piasa]

If the Georgians don’t provide the ‘pretext’ then Russia will provide it in their name.

[JulienBenda]

Nope, it’s certainly not all our fault, or even arguably any of our fault, but that said, one must consider the position of the aggrieved party, Russia, in the last 18 years of power politics played by the West. We have done Machiavelli and Bismarck one or two better in our moves into the bear’s backyard. I love democracy, too, and democracies like Poland and Georgia/Gruzia, but, if I may speak bluntly to the Realpolitik going on here, it is, on the one hand, not surprising what the West has been doing in the past 18 years around the periphery of Russia, and, on the other hand, it is also not surprising/highly predictable that Russia respond in it’s predictably brutal way. (To shorten it: Yep, we’re part of the democratic forces that have, knowingly or unknowingly, precipitated the autocratic bear’s predictable response.)

[piasa]

Ms. Solberg [Leader of the Norwegian Conservative Party] illustrates her increasing fears with Russia’s reported violations of aircraft regulations at Spitsbergen and military training near the Norwegian border.
It worries me that the Russians are showing disrespect for our right to govern the Spitsbergen archipelago, she says to the newspaper. She also accuses the Norwegian red-green government coalition of failing to nurse relations with the USA.
----- "South Ossetia war spurs defence debate in Scandinavia," barentsobserver.com, 08-15-2008 .

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Fair enough. You are a refreshing voice hear on FR.

[demshateGod]

“...to eventually control most of the world’s oil reserves”

That sounds probable. I know I was shocked when they invaded Georgia. I thought they were European wussies with a little edge. I was totally wrong.