And it's the wrong "spin"
To most of us who lived through the Cold War era, we might have hated what the Soviets did and hated communism even more viscerally than anyone, but we did not hate Russia or Russians. Communism is a political ideology, not an ethnicity. The author is correct on this, we saw communism as the enemy and wanted to be friends with Russia, if only they'd get rid of communism -- largely because we recognized that there were three great powers in the world at the time -- us, Russia and China -- and China was well, China -- unlike us at every level, historically, in terms of religious heritage, race, and cultural outlook -- in short, destined to be a perpetual "other" to us.
"Of course Russia doesn't want potential threats on their doorstep. I too 'recognize' that. But what "potential threats" would those be in this case? Nato, a defensive alliance? Defensive anti-missile-defense sites in Poland? "
NATO was chartered as "a defensive organization" (against the SU during the Cold War), but it broke its own charter in 1999 with the 78 day NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia. That told everyone that NATO was no longer about "defense of NATO nations" -- it was a military force for world government.
"Defensive anti-missile-defense sites in Poland?"
That's like saying, "Don't mind the gun that I have pointed at your head, it's only for defense." That's not just an insult to Russian intelligence, it's an insult to everyone's intelligence.
"the English language certainly does, and you've demonstrated that you read/understand English..."
Yes, English is my native language, because I was born and raised in Fresno, CA, with no "connection to Russia" -- other than being family friends with the Stanford Professor who was the father of Russian and Eastern European Studies at Stanford.
"Does this weird Russia-subservience come simply from fear, then?"
With this neocon ideology, everyone is either "on top" or "on the bottom", "dominating or being dominated" -- it's completely narcissistic and childish.
Russia is and has always been "a power" in the Caucuses and beyond. The fall of communism may temporarily weakened them, and the subservient Gorby and "Yeltsin, the dancing, drunken Bear" image, were just a temporary aberration for anyone with sense of history. Putin IS the real Russia. And like it or not, that is what we need to deal with.
If anyone is truly concerned about the people of Georgia, the Ukraine and that neighborhood, then we need to partner with Russia to make it safe -- based on rule of law, not arbitrary standards that say that we can do what we want, anytime we want and we will continue to use those NATO members near Russia as pawns in our game of Russian Roulette.
"I'm all for solutions that don't involve blowing Russia off the planet."
If we keep pushing and encircling Russia in this needless game of chicken, sooner or later we are going to have a military confrontation. The neocon visceral hate of things Russian, is going to push us there. And it is not just dangerous, it's stupid.
"What "posturing with Russia"? Russia's done an evil crappy power-grabbing thing and goddamit anyone with a brain and an ounce of integrity ought to be able to recognize it and say so."
There is a difference between understanding why Russia did what it did, and defending Russian actions. We are pushing Russia as far as we can and seeing what her limits are, and we just found out. Georgia is so far into our pocket, that she wouldn't have dared make the move she did without us OKing it. To Russia, Georgia (who we have been arming to the teeth for the last several years) is just "an American proxy". If Georgia had been in NATO, which is what we have been pushing (and Germany was the main hold-out), we would be in a military (nuclear) confrontation with Russia right now. So the "blowing each other off the planet" scenario is not as far-fetched as you'd like to think.
The difference between traditional conservatives and neocons, which the author later said didn't make it in the article but should have, was that traditional Conservatives during the Cold War were "largely Catholic" -- and that meant certain cultural values in traditional Conservatism were the Golden Rule and a sense of humility about our limits in "changing the world". Traditional Conservatives respected that the world was the way it was and there were limits to what we could change -- and someone's history and culture were NOT among them -- the point was to create a safe space in America to live in freedom and lead by example.
But neocons didn't and don't see it that way -- they see the world as raw material for a makeover into little "mini-me's" and anyone who gets in the way of that is the enemy. Neocons start wars, that Traditional Conservatives usually ended with, "let's make a deal, tell me your interests and I'll tell you mine and let's figure something out". We weren't out to save the world -- we were and are out to save America.
As I said before, Communism is not an ethnicity, it is an ideology -- as is globalism. While the American people are the least imperialistic people on the face of the earth, I believe that there are corrupt globalist elements influencing our government who are imperialists -- and we have let them run hog wild. We've let them use America to further their financial and political interests and not America's. And to has to how this affects the Russian/Georgian situation, ask Randy Scheunemann.
We have more to fear from inside our American political process these days, than we do from Russia, or (non-Muslim) anywhere else.
This election we have a choice between "soft socialism" (a lie in itself) in Obama, or McCain, whose own chief foreign policy adviser was selling American foreign policy on the open market. But because McCain is "our guy", we are looking the other way, instead of cleaning house as we should.
The day that America's foreign policy is "for sale to the highest bidder", then none of the world will make sense to us or anyone else -- including Russia -- and we will be more vulnerable than safe no matter how many wars we are willing to fight.
And that is the root of the problem. NATO is no longer what it was supposed to be.
I don't like Russia, long story there, but quite frankly if we had been trying to start a war, our recent actions would be doing just fine. Russia is acting like Russia again, not the USSR. We as a nation had better realize that.
And so you think that a Russian belief that NATO would engage in offensive operations against Russia is warranted? Because I think it is insanity-level paranoia. I guess that's where we disagree.
["Defensive anti-missile-defense sites in Poland?"] That's like saying, "Don't mind the gun that I have pointed at your head, it's only for defense."
No, it is not. Read up on the defensive missiles in question. They have no effectiveness as an offensive weapon (unlike a gun).
Putin IS the real Russia. And like it or not, that is what we need to deal with.
Well, sure. Now he's overreaching Russia's rights and authority and we need to deal with that. Sure.
If anyone is truly concerned about the people of Georgia, the Ukraine and that neighborhood, then we need to partner with Russia to make it safe
This presupposes that Russia is interested in "making", and will, "make" those countries "safe". The evidence suggests otherwise.
based on rule of law,
"Russia" and "rule of law" do not belong in the same sentence.
Have you ever been to Russia? Do you know anything about it at all?
If we keep pushing and encircling Russia in this needless game of chicken, sooner or later we are going to have a military confrontation.
We are not "pushing" Russia and we are only "encircling" Russia in the sense that one's neighbors' fences "encircle" one's property. A person has no right whatsoever to complain about neighbors putting up fences on their own fricking property, "encircling" or not, and the same applies here.
The neocon visceral hate of things Russian, is going to push us there.
I'm at the point where virtually all sentences containing the word "neocon" force me to lower my estimate of the author's IQ by 20%. Suffice it to say that I'm not a "neocon", whatever that is, nor do I hate "things Russian", which you would know to be a laughable claim if you knew me.
The real problem is the romanticization and excusal of "things Russian", including the paranoid imperialism prevalent in her foreign policy, that is dangerous. Because it leads people to advocate for unlimited appeasement of and bowing down to any and all Russian supposed grievances and claims to dominance over her neighbors.
There is a difference between understanding why Russia did what it did, and defending Russian actions.
Sure. By any reasonable reading, the author of the above article is squarely on the latter category.
Georgia is so far into our pocket, that she wouldn't have dared make the move she did without us OKing it.
Any even cursory reading of various news sources will reveal that the US tried to discourage the Georgian action.
As I said before, Communism is not an ethnicity, it is an ideology
Not sure what this has to do with anything. No one here is talking about "Communism".
[more "neocon" babble deleted]
There goes another 20%...and another...