West Must Stand Beside Georgia, And Face Up To Russia, Expert Advises

It's clear that Georgia started war, monitors, who were on the ground in the breakaway region of South Ossetia when hostilities commenced the night of Aug. 7, reported seeing Georgian artillery and rocket launchers assembling just outside South Ossetia at 3 p.m. that day, well before any Russian convoy had crossed into the enclave. They also observed unprovoked shelling of South Ossetia's capital, Tskhinvali, that night. The shells were falling on civilians' huddled in their homes. And The monitors heard nothing that would confirm Saakashvili's claim that Georgian artillery attacks on Tskhinvali were in response to the shelling of ethnic Georgian villages.

There is no reason to doubt the OSCE monitors. The inescapable conclusion is that Saakashvili started the war and lied about it. The Kremlin may have done its part to provoke Georgia - and its reaction to the Georgian attacks was deliberately harsh - but that is no excuse for Saakashvili allowing himself to be provoked.

And Abkhazia already is NOT Georgia.

Ad Anton
I really do not understand what Georgians have done to you, but in every your comment you wish Ggeorgians to be dissolved amongst great Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Its sick - go and visit your GP, maybe it will find a right medicine for you. You seems to be pretty geofobic...

Strange to hear these hysterical reactions in November, when it was all clear in August... There is no angels or devils in that war, but there are the facts, and the facts say that Russia was patiently waiting for Georgia to step into the mousetrap, and of course the tanks were already ready to go, but still Georgia stepped into the trap first. And then the long-prepared reaction followed, so both Georgia and George WB found themselves in the poo. Nothing surprising! Even back in 50s Mao was sayng that USA is nothing but a paper tiger. Only can attack the one who cannot scratch and bite back. Poker players! A lot of bluff, and little substantiation.

As for Georgia, personally I think it is completely cooked by now. With such allies, they can expect to be cheated, manipulated, humiliated, further partitioned (as they still have some extra lands) and generally discarded in the big game. Turkish, Azeri, Russians, Armenians - these are already rubbing their hands, as no one needs Georgia in a form as it is now. Georgia's existance was only justified by the ability to house the pipelines - present government chose territorial "integrity" over the economic and political freedoms, therefore everyone knows Georgia is OK with being partitioned - and the pipes can go through Greater Armenia as well as through Greater Turkey. From Greater Azerbaijan...

Mr. Kowalsky, there is a reason why Carl Bildt compared the Russians' defence of their citizens with the National-Socialistic Germany's defence of the Germans in Czech or whatever it was back then.

Georgia attacked Russians, get it straight. Get your head out of your butt

I find the comment of Vladan from Prague about the "self-hating Western leftist" to be hilarious. I'm a leftist too, but surely strongly disagree with Martins comments. The situation is South Ossetia, and later in Abkhazia were long orchestrated by Russia. Moscow was waiting for a great opportunity to cripple Georgia with it's psychological and military campaign, and were successful. What could be a better timing for Russia while there is the most unpopular president in the US in modern history, the global economy is in recession, presidential election campaign was heating up, and lots of money has been made from a $145 per barrel oil by the Russian treasury. And here Martin is blaming the poor Chechens who have been victims of discrimination for their religious and ethnic identity within Russia. Absolutely agree with Vladan and Ivo. Russia has been the mal intentioned one and it's tone and actions(as we witnessed) has gotten rather aggressive and unfriendly. The US is no Angel but please, how far is Russia willing to go before really aggravating the US. South Caucasus doesn't belong to Russia, regardless of how much they may disagree in Moscow. South Caucasus belongs to the people of Caucasus, their nations and governments. Of course there will always be interests in the region, but better have economic and cultural ties rather than a militaristic and conquest oriented policy and I hope that those in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia(although Armenia is de facto owned by Russia) will realize that unlike Russia, the US is not interested in "reconquering" and ruling them.

Mr. 'Bright', how far does Russia's 'Near Abroad' extend as far as you're concerned? Because of people with your way of thinking we had the horrible consequences of the Yalta Conference.
Chechen terrorists? I'm not saying those people were angels, but if you recal first the Moscow theatre hostage crisis and then Beslan you'll probably remember that most of the victims died from the hands of those who were supposed to rescue them, and how did Putin defeat the Chechen terrorists anyway? By flatenning the whole tiny microscopic republic!

However luckily oil prices are fast going going down, the U$D is strong again and annexing tiny bits of portions from the South Caucasus has turned out to be a little bit too much of an expensive splurge.

Yes, blame the victims. So now the Chechen wars are the West's fault too, Mr 'Bright'? Another self-hating Western leftist, all ready to crawl in bed with the Russian bear. You need to wake up.

Wake up!!
Georgia´s attack of Tskhinvali was posible due this kind of talk. Surely Saakashvili was sure after a lot of bravado chatting that Russia cannot respond to the occupation of South Ossetia. We can see now the consequences.

Certanly the Russian economy and army aren´t a match to the European or American ones, but are we liking another 1962´s missile crisis? Are we arming another al Qaida- in the Caucasian Emirate ropes? Will be support terrorist acts aginst winter athletes in Sochi?

This kind of bravado will end up in chechen or caucasian terrorists terrorizing west and east europeans cities, same as al-Qaida did with newyorkers.

We must stop encroaching Russia and her near abroad, and prepare for a partnership based on mutual interests. We must stop lecturing Russia (after our gruesome fiascos in Iraq and Afghanistan and Guantanamo) and begin treating her like an equal partner. I don´t like Putin nor believe in his democratic credentials, but prefer befriend him to being bombed at home by our trained and financed terrorists ten years from now.