Pundit tongues are wagging and pundit pens are scratching. Russia's invasion of Georgia is being blamed on Georgian adventurism and provocation.
That is a bunch of cowardly bull.
Russia had this invasion planned for a long time, and took advantage of the Olympics to do it when the world was elsewhere preoccupied.
There is nothing new here and no appeal to Georgian adventurism or provocation is needed to explain it.
Russia has invaded a peaceful neighbor just as it overthrew the legitimate governments of the Baltic States in 1940, just as it invaded Finland in 1940 (seizing historically Finnish territory that it retains to this day), just as it invaded Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1968, and Afghanistan in 1978.
Presidents of 5 former Russian colonies are reportedly on the way to Tbilisi. That is the way to show solidarity. President Sarkozy is reportedly planning to travel to both Tbilisi and Moscow. That is a positive step, too. Troops and materiel to a valiant ally of the West should follow.
There is no easy way to deal with a marauding, aggressive nation like Russia. War is a terrible thing. We do not need a replay of August 1914. But the worst way is the way of appeasement, as initially suggested by Senator Obama. We do not need a repeat of September 1938, either.
That is a bunch of cowardly bull.
Russia had this invasion planned for a long time, and took advantage of the Olympics to do it when the world was elsewhere preoccupied.
There is nothing new here and no appeal to Georgian adventurism or provocation is needed to explain it.
Russia has invaded a peaceful neighbor just as it overthrew the legitimate governments of the Baltic States in 1940, just as it invaded Finland in 1940 (seizing historically Finnish territory that it retains to this day), just as it invaded Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1968, and Afghanistan in 1978.
Presidents of 5 former Russian colonies are reportedly on the way to Tbilisi. That is the way to show solidarity. President Sarkozy is reportedly planning to travel to both Tbilisi and Moscow. That is a positive step, too. Troops and materiel to a valiant ally of the West should follow.
There is no easy way to deal with a marauding, aggressive nation like Russia. War is a terrible thing. We do not need a replay of August 1914. But the worst way is the way of appeasement, as initially suggested by Senator Obama. We do not need a repeat of September 1938, either.
1 comment:
Great post, Punditarian.
I haven't written about the Russian attack on Georgia, frankly because it is an overwhelming episode.
But, if I had written something, I would like to have written what you have written here.
The comaparison the 1914 is a very good one.
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