> It is Russia's invasion of the sovereign state of Georgia. Not Bush's war!
>
> Putin is still smarting over the USA & Nato bombing Yugoslavia and conming
> to the aid of Muslims.
>

> "al92653" xyz.com> wrote in message
> news:rXDok.16493$3l5.11004@newsfe06.iad...

>> Bush's War in Georgia
>>
>> Will it be the Flyswatter or the Blunderbuss?
>>
>> By Mike Whitney
>>
>> "I saw bodies lying on the streets, around ruined buildings and in
>> cars. It's impossible to count them now. There's hardly a single building
>> left undamaged." Lyudmila Ostayeva, resident of Tskhinvali, South Ossetia
>>
>>
>> 11/08/08 "ICH" -- - Washington's bloody fingerprints are all over the
>> invasion of South Ossetia. Georgia President Mikhail Saakashvili would
>> never dream of launching a massive military attack unless he got explicit
>> orders from his bosses at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. After all, Saakashvili
>> owes his entire political career to American power-brokers and US
>> intelligence agencies. If he disobeyed them, he'd be gone in a fortnight.
>> Besides an operation like this takes months of planning and logistical
>> support; especially if it's perfectly timed to coincide with the
>> beginning of the Olympic games. (another petty neocon touch) That means
>> Pentagon planners must have been working hand in hand with Georgian
>> generals for months in advance. Nothing was left to chance.
>>
>> Another tell-tale sign of US complicity is the way President Bush has
>> avoided ordering Georgian troops to withdraw from a province that has
>> been under the protection of international peacekeepers. Remember how
>> quickly Bush ordered Sharon to withdraw from his rampage in Jenin?
>> Apparently it's different when the aggression serves US interests.
>>
>> Saakashvili has been working closely with the Bush administration ever
>> since he replaced Eduard Shevardnadze as president in 2003. That's when
>> US-backed NGOs and western intelligence agencies toppled the Shevardnadze
>> regime in the so-called color-coded "Rose Revolution". Since then,
>> Saakashvili has done everything that's been asked of him; he's built up
>> the military and internal security apparatus, he's allowed US advisers to
>> train and arm Georgian troops, he's applied for membership in NATO, and
>> he's been a general nuisance to his Russian neighbors. Now, he has sent
>> his army into battle ostensibly on Washington's orders. At least, that is
>> how the Kremlin sees it. Vladimir Vasilyev, the Chairman of Russia's
>> State Duma Security Committee, summed up the feelings of many Russians
>> like this: "The further the situation unfolds, the more the world will
>> understand that Georgia would never be able to do all this without
>> America. In essence, the Americans have prepared the force, which
>> destroys everything in South Ossetia, attacks civilians and hospitals."
>>
>> True. That's why Bush is flying Georgian troops back home from Iraq to
>> join the fighting rather than pursuing peaceful alternatives. Bush still
>> believes that political solutions will naturally arise through the use of
>> force. Unfortunately, his record is rather spotty.
>>
>> But that still doesn't answer the larger question: Why would Saakashvili
>> embark on such a pointless military adventure when he had no chance of
>> winning? After all, Russia has 20 times the firepower and has been
>> conducting military maneuvers anticipating this very scenario for months.
>> Does Uncle Sam really want another war that bad or is the fighting in
>> South Ossetia is just head-fake for a larger war that is brewing in the
>> Straits of Hormuz?
>>
>> Mikhail Saakashvili is a western educated lawyer and a favorite of the
>> neocons. He rose to power on a platform of anti-corruption and economic
>> reform which emphasized free market solutions and privatization. Instead
>> of raising the standard of living for the Georgian people, Saakashvili
>> has been running up massive deficits to expand the over-bloated military.
>> Saakashvili has made huge purchases of Israeli and US-made (offensive)
>> weapon systems and has devoted more than "4.2%% of GDP (more than a
>> quarter of all Georgian public income) to military hardware.
>>
>> The Chairman of Russia's State Duma Security Committee, Vladimir
>> Vasiliyev, summed it up like this:
>>
>> "Georgia could have used the years of Saakashvili's presidency in
>> different ways - to build up the economy, to develop the infrastructure,
>> to solve social issues both in South Ossetia, Abkhazia and the whole
>> state. Instead, the Georgian leadership with president Saakashvili
>> undertook consistent steps to increase its military budget from US$30
>> million to $1 billion - Georgia was preparing for a military action."
>> Naturally, Russia is worried about these developments and has brought the
>> matter up repeatedly at the United Nations but to no avail.
>>
>> Israeli arms manufacturers have also been supplying Saakashvili with
>> state-of-the-art weaponry. According to Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz:
>>
>> "In addition to the spy drones, Israel has also been supplying Georgia
>> with infantry weapons and electronics for artillery systems, and has
>> helped upgrade Soviet-designed Su-25 ground attack jets assembled in
>> Georgia, according to Koba Liklikadze, an independent military expert in
>> Tbilisi. Former Israeli generals also serve as advisers to the Georgian
>> military." ("Following Russian pressure, Israel freezes defense sales to
>> Georgia" Associated Press)
>>
>> The Israeli news source DebkaFile elaborates on the geopolitical
>> implications of Israeli involvement in the Georgia's politics:
>>
>> "The conflict has been sparked by the race for control over the pipelines
>> carrying oil and gas out of the Caspian region....The Russians may just
>> bear with the pro-US Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili's ambition to
>> bring his country into NATO. But they draw a heavy line against his plans
>> and those of Western oil companies, including Israeli firms, to route the
>> oil routes from Azerbaijan and the gas lines from Turkmenistan, which
>> transit Georgia, through Turkey instead of hooking them up to Russian
>> pipelines.
>>
>> Jerusalem owns a strong interest in Caspian oil and gas pipelines reach
>> the Turkish terminal port of Ceyhan, rather than the Russian network.
>> Intense negotiations are afoot between Israel Turkey, Georgia,
>> Turkmenistan and Azarbaijan for pipelines to reach Turkey and thence to
>> Israel's oil terminal at Ashkelon and on to its Red Sea port of Eilat.
>> From there, supertankers can carry the gas and oil to the Far East
>> through the Indian Ocean." (Paul Joseph Watson, "US Attacks Russia
>> Through Client State Georgia")
>>
>> The United States and Israel are both neck-deep in the "Great Game"; the
>> ongoing war for vital petroleum and natural gas supplies in Central Asia
>> and the Caspian Basin. So far, Putin appears to have the upper-hand
>> because of his alliances with his regional allies-under the Commonwealth
>> of Independent States-and because most of the natural gas from Eurasia is
>> pumped through Russian pipelines. An article in "Today's Zaman" gives a
>> good snapshot of Russia's position vis a vis natural resources in the
>> region:
>>
>> "As far as natural resources are concerned Russia's hand is very strong:
>> It holds 6.6 percent of the worlds proven oil reserves and 26 percent of
>> the world's gas reserves. In addition, it currently accounts for 12
>> percent of world oil and 21 of recent world gas production. In May 2007,
>> Russia was the world's largest oil and gas producer.
>>
>> As for national champions, Putin has strengthened and prepared Gazprom
>> (the state-controlled gas company), Transneft (oil pipeline monopoly) and
>> Rosneft (the state-owned oil giant). That is why in 2006 Gazprom retained
>> full ownership in the giant Shtokman gas field (7) and took a controlling
>> stake in the Sakhalin-2 natural gas project. In June 2007, it took back
>> BP's Kovytka gas field and now is behind Total's Kharyaga oil and gas
>> field." ("Vladimir Putin's Energystan and the Caspian" Today's Zaman)
>>
>> Putin-the black belt Judo-master-has proved to be as adept at geopolitics
>> as he is at "deal-making". He has collaborated with the Austrian
>> government on a huge natural gas depot in Austria which will facilitate
>> the transport of gas to southern Europe. He has joined forces with German
>> industry to build an underwater pipeline through the Baltic to Germany
>> (which could provide 80%% of Germany's gas requirements) He has selected
>> France's Total to assist Gazprom in the development of the massive
>> Shtokman gas field. And he is setting up pipeline corridors to provide
>> gas to Turkey and the Balkans. Putin has very deliberately spread
>> Russia's influence evenly throughout Europe with the intention of
>> severing the Transatlantic Alliance and, eventually, loosening America's
>> vice-like grip on the continent.
>>
>> Putin's overtures to Germany's Merkel and France's Sarkozy are calculated
>> to weaken the resolve of Bush's neocon allies in the EU and put them in
>> Russia's corner. Putin is also attracting considerable foreign investment
>> to Russian markets and has adopted "a 'new model of cooperation' in the
>> energy sector that would 'allow foreign partners to share in the economic
>> benefits of the project, share the management, and take on a share of the
>> industrial, commercial and financial risks'". (M K Bhadrakumar "Russia
>> plays the Shtokman card", Asia Times) All of these are intended to
>> strengthen ties between Europe and Russia and make it harder for the Bush
>> administration to isolate Moscow.
>>
>> Putin has played his cards very wisely, which makes it look like the
>> fighting in South Ossetia may be Washington's way of trying to win
>> through military force what they could not achieve via the free market.
>>
>> On Saturday, President Bush issued this statement from Beijing: "We have
>> urged an immediate halt to the violence and a stand-down by all troops.
>> We call for an end to the Russian bombings and a return by the parties to
>> the status quo of August 6th."
>>
>> That was it. Bush then quickly returned to the Olympic festivities. He
>> was last spotted at a photo op with the US girls volleyball team jumping
>> up and down on the beach-sand in his wingtips. The pretense that Bush is
>> leading the country has seemingly been abandoned altogether. Cheney is in
>> charge now.
>>
>> Meanwhile, Putin boarded a plane to Moscow as soon as he heard about the
>> Georgian invasion and after angrily waving his finger in Bush's face.
>> It's doubtful that the friendship between the two leaders will survive
>> the present storm. America's gambit in the Caucasus has aroused the
>> sleeping bear and put Russia on the warpath. There's no telling when the
>> hostilities might end. The conflagration could sweep across the entire
>> region. Currently, news agencies are reporting that Russian warplanes are
>> pounding Georgia's military bases, airfields, and the Black sea port of
>> Poti.
>>
>> According to Bill Van Auken on the World Socialist Web Site:
>>
>> "Much of the city (Tskhinvali) was reportedly in flames Friday. The
>> regional parliament building had burned down, the university was on fire,
>> and the town's main hospital had been rendered inoperative by the
>> bombardment."
>>
>> Vesti radio reported that Georgian forces burned down a church in Tanara
>> in South Ossetia where people were hiding, to the ground, with all the
>> people inside. The Deputy Director of an information agency as an eye
>> witness reported that fragments of cluster bombs of were found in
>> Tskinvali. There have also been reports by a South Ossetian reservist
>> that civilians who were hiding in basements were shot dead by Georgian
>> soldiers.
>>
>> Wikipedia reports that, "Russian soldiers captured group of American
>> mercenaries on territory of South Ossetia. Group was captured near of
>> Zare village."
>>
>> An estimated 1,500 people have died in the onslaught and 30,000 more fled
>> across the Russian border. Large swaths of the city have been reduced to
>> rubble including the one hospital that was pounded by Georgia bombers.
>> Georgia has cut off the water supply to the city.The Red Cross now
>> anticipates a "humanitarian catastrophe" as a result of the fighting.
>>
>> "I saw bodies lying on the streets, around ruined buildings, in cars,"
>> Lyudmila Ostayeva, 50, told the Associated Press after fleeing the city
>> with her family to a village near the Russian border. "It's impossible to
>> count them now. There is hardly a single building left undamaged."
>>
>> At least 15 Russia peacekeepers were killed in the initial fighting and
>> 70 more were sent to hospital. Georgia's army stormed the South Ossetia
>> capital, Tskhinvali, killing more than 1,000 fleeing civilians. Russian
>> Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin told news agencies in an
>> interview how the hostilities began:
>>
>> Russian peacekeepers "were killed by their own [Georgian] partners in the
>> peacekeeping forces. There is a Russian battalion, an Ossetian battalion,
>> and a Georgian battalion... and all of a sudden the Georgians, Georgian
>> peacekeepers, begin shooting their Russian colleagues. This is of course
>> a war crime. I do not rule out that the Hague and Strasbourg courts and
>> institutions in other cities will be involved in investigating these
>> crimes, and this inhuman drama that has been played out."
>>
>> According to South Ossetia's president, Eduard Kokoyti, Georgian troops
>> had been taking part in NATO exercises in the region since the beginning
>> of August. Kokoyti claims that there is a connection between the NATO's
>> activities and the current violence.
>>
>> Clearly, no one was expecting Russia to react as quickly or as forcefully
>> as they did. In a matter of hours Russian tanks and armored vehicles were
>> streaming over the border while warplanes bombed targets throughout the
>> south. The Bush-Saakashvili strategy unraveled in a matter of hours. The
>> Georgia president is already calling for a cease-fire. He's had enough.
>>
>>
>> Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has promised to spend $400 million
>> to rebuild parts of South Ossetia. Large shipments of food and medical
>> supplies are already on the way.
>>
>> Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday:
>>
>> "The actions of Georgia have led to deaths - among them are Russian
>> peacekeepers. The situation reached the point that Georgian peacekeepers
>> have been shooting at Russian peacekeepers. Now women, children and old
>> people are dying in South Ossetia - most of them are citizens of the
>> Russian Federation. As the President of the Russian Federation, I am
>> obligated to protect lives and the dignity of Russian citizens wherever
>> they are. Those responsible for the deaths of our citizens will be
>> punished."
>>
>> Indeed, but how will Medvedev bring the responsible people to justice;
>> with tanks and fighter pilots or is there another way?
>>
>>
>> PUTIN'S OPTIONS: Flyswatter or Blunderbuss?
>>
>> Sometimes war provides clarity. That's certainly true in this case. After
>> this weekends fighting, everyone in the Russian political establishment
>> knows that Washington is willing to sacrifice thousands of innocent
>> civilians and plunge the entire region into chaos to achieve its
>> geopolitical objectives. Bush could call the whole thing off right now;
>> Putin and Medvedev know that. But that's not the game-plan. So, the two
>> Russian leaders have to make some tough decisions that will end up
>> costing lives. What choice do they have?
>>
>> Putin needs to carefully weigh his options. Then, on Monday, he should
>> announce that Russia will sell all $50 billion of its Fannie Mae
>> mortgage-backed bonds, all of it US dollar-backed assets, and will accept
>> only rubles and euros in the future sale of Russian oil and natural gas.
>> Then watch as the Dow Jones goes into a death-spiral. Why use a
>> blunderbuss when a flyswatter will do just fine.
>>
>>

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