The temperature at the United Nations Security Council hasn’t been this high in years — and it’s not because the U.N. management raised the thermostat slightly to cut electricity costs. It’s due to the heated exchange of insults and accusations between Russia and the United States, which has reached a fever pitch reminiscent of the Cold War years.
U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad accused Russia on Sunday of using the Georgian incursion into Georgia’s breakaway enclave of South Ossetia as an excuse for a massive military assault against its tiny pro-Western neighbor whose ultimate goal is “regime change” in Tbilisi. He also assailed Moscow for waging a “campaign of terror” against the civilian population of Georgia, a former Soviet republic.
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin shot back that regime change is an “American invention” and suggested it was hypocritical of Washington to talk about attacks on civilians in light of what it has done in Iraq, Afghanistan and Serbia. Churkin said Russia is only trying to defend its peacekeepers and protect civilians from Georgian “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide” in South Ossetia, a small pro-Moscow province that threw off Tbilisi’s rule in the 1990s and has been managed by Russian troops since.
There’s a subtext to this dispute and it isn’t just the U.S. and European support for the declaration of independence of Kosovo, a former breakaway region of Serbia that seceded in February. Serbia and its ally Russia were both enraged by what they saw as an unjustified tearing away of a large chunk of Serbian territory in violation of international law. (Of course, the Georgian separatists in South Ossetia and Abkhazia — another Georgian breakaway region — took notice.)
Tensions between Russia and the United States have been simmering for a while.
When the United States announced it was planning to build a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic several years ago, then President Vladimir Putin was outraged. He dismissed U.S. statements that the shield was to guard against Iran, not Russia. In February 2007 at a security conference in Munich, Germany, Putin accused the United States of trying to create a “unipolar” world with Washington as its “one single master”. He made clear that Russia would not stand idly by while Washington tried to subjugate the planet. U.S. officials were taken aback at the force of Putin’s speech, which some said sounded like a declaration of a new Cold War.
Russia, richer than ever thanks to its massive oil and gas revenues, has made no attempt to hide its irritation at Washington’s staunch support for Georgia’s NATO aspirations. It views the expansion of NATO towards its borders as an encroachment on its sphere of influence.
Is it possible that when Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili decided to go into South Ossetia and try to put it back under Tbilisi’s control, he gave Russian leaders a golden opportunity to severely punish Georgia’s pro-Western leadership and show the world that Russia is no longer the weak, economically devastated nation it was in the 1990s?
Perhaps the message is — Russia is back, it’s powerful and it won’t tolerate anyone messing around in its backyard.
Or is there another message here?
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Im totally confused by U.S and U.N
- Posted by anWho are all these people, speaking of NATO and the G8 and sanctions and unjust invasions and such? Do any of you really believe you know what is going on? Hah, what a joke. You speculate blindly, and don’t even realize a small portion of the truth. Hot-headed idiots. Your blood runs hot out of your necks as you too are sent to be slaughtered in such places where your hot-headed idiocy is gladly encouraged. You will be given nice tools to bleed each other with, and I will watch, laughing at you and despising you on television. Why don’t you all just shut up and read something in the shape of a book? How about you start with 1984. Oh wait, that would be boring wouldn’t it? Read? Think? No, much easier to form an opinion and bleed out of the neck for it, right? Haha, GO FOR IT!!!! I need my entertainment!
- Posted by HatredThis has been planned by Russia for a longtime. But now the question is what’s the response from the West!! US is week and EU is coward. However, there has to be a response or Ukraine is next.
Yes, never trust the Russians. They are the true barbarians and outright stupid.
I hope all the financial institutions take notice. Russia needs to be expelled from G-8 and and any other multilateral organizations.
In the meantime, the US Navy or Air Force needs have plan ready and target ready in Russia to bomb when the invasion of Ukraine starts. This will be a lot bigger than Iraq.
- Posted by AmitThe end days are upon us.
- Posted by KevinQuite right. But the fact is that it is a gamble and there is no way of knowing whether they will get a bishop or queen or lose their own king. But surely the whole lot of pawns on both sides will be dead and the at the end of it, there might not be any winner.
- Posted by huloLooks like Georgia started this scrap last Thursday. Regardless of history, it’s been relatively quiet for more than 10 years. Why stir up a hornets nest? What did the Georgians expect? They “were agressors” if you are a Russian or a citizen of South Ossetia, or “victims” if you are Georgian or the US government. Either way, people got killed. There was no need to start a ruckus. Georgia pushed and they got pushed back hard. They’ll think twice before taking that step again. In this case, even as an American citizen, I’ll back Putin.
- Posted by Daniel jonesREAD PLEASE: The simmering conflict between Russia and its small, former Soviet neighbor Georgia erupted late on Thursday when (Georgia Sent Forces) into South Ossetia, a Small Pro-Russian Province which threw Off (Georgian Rule in the 1990s).
Russia, which had Provided Support to the Separatists and had PeaceKeepers Stationed in the Province, responded by Pouring Troops and Heavy Amour south through the Caucasus mountains into South Ossetia to Drive back the Georgians.
The conflict alarmed the West, which views Georgia as a Valuable, if VOLATILE ALLY, because of its Strategic Location on an Energy Transit Route Carrying OIL from the Caspian to Europe.
Georgia was (Wrong) and Russia was (Right),as We were,when we 1st Kicked Out, then Invading & Rading (Iraq Military) when they sought to Overtake (Kuwait)…
Russia did the same thing, like it or not.
The Georgian Governments knew what they were doing, in Attacking Osettia and Knew what Time to do it, as if Nothing would be done about it…
They were WRONG !!!
What is George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Condoleeza Rice, going to do about this…
Ask to Mediate along with NATO, The European Union, The United Nations and World Leaders to …
Mediate, otherthan that…Nothing
They’d be Foolish to do anything, otherthan that !!!
After all is said an done Georgians will Retreat, sign an Agreement to Never enter Ossetia again.
BIG NOTE: Kuwait was Once a part of (Iraq) Kuwait became a Nation and based on it’s Oil Richness and Big Output of OIL, this TINY Nation called Kuwait, became the USA’s Oil PlayBox and so we put Kuwait under our Protection.
- Posted by Omaar————————————-
I just do not understand how President Bush can say that Russia is using too much force and have any credibility. When Israel bombed the crap out of Lebanon a couple of years ago for kidnapping 2 solders, President Bush did not say that Israel was using too much force and let Israel do as they please. This is typical of the Bush administration’s double standards and that is why the world sees the USA in a much different way then before. /sigh
- Posted by JohnOceania is now at war with Eurasia. Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia. Eastasia is now our ally. Eastasia has always been our ally. All hail BB - sorry, GB - for the new, happy life he has bestowed upon us!
- Posted by Mystikan“South Osetia is NOT a part of Russian Fed. It’s part of Georgia” somebody insist on ibid viewpoint,why you insist same point on kosovo???
- Posted by lion“How can you have a peace making army?
Armies are meant for war and conflict, not for peace.”
Why you not say this with US army in Iraq?The demos want the US army garrison their domain for ever?Dot say they are impuissant.the earth circumgyrate everyday,not lie on AMERICAN ARMY.
I’m afraid everyone’s correct. It all depends on which perspective you are looking at. Russians believe that they are correct in their actions and Georgians believe they are also correct from their point of view. There is no way US did not know the attack was going to take place, there are military advisers in the Georgia. This is the same game more powerful countries have played for a long time. This was a calculated risk in order to convince some in the west to accept Georgia into NATO. Like a classic chess move, sometimes its ok to sacrifice your pawn to get a bishop or a queen.
- Posted by MDAs a more or less independent view in the present conflict, I’d say that it is clear the Georgia created the present situation by attacking during the Olympics. I also suspect that there was some behind-the-scene support from USA in this action. Now, Russia is using this opportunity to push ahead.
After US actions of “regime change” in several countries including Kosovo, they can hardly criticize Russia. But they are just doing that. The fact is that in this unipolar world, US has become so shameless in dealing with other countries that US thinks it even decides what is moral or not.
The world politics is marked by US double standards, which can be seen here too. With a resurgent Russia, such conflict of interest will result in a new cold war…and it might just get hot.
There are numerous prophecies which speak of a Russian invasion in Germany resulting in WW-III following a middle eastern war and tension between Russia and US fleets in the Mediterranean and an assassination in the Balkans.
Everyone thought that Russia was finished. This conflict no doubt takes us closer one step towards WW-III.
- Posted by huloPutin is the new Stalin, a comunist lowlife and eventually his brand of totalitarism will be defeated by the law abiding nations of the world. He hasn’t forgotten about the KGB ways.
- Posted by Bienvenido A PolancoRussia’s history of brutality is beside the point. In this case we all saw that Saakashvili started the war. And the fact that Russian troops poured in - within hours - is also beside the point. Even if he was provoked, Saakashvili should have realized that starting a war - especially against RUSSIA - can have unexpected consequences. The only sane solution now is for Saakashvili to resign - in order to save his country. Let him retire for “health reasons” or some other excuse to save face. His successor may be able to negotiate Georgia’s territorial claims - but Saakashvili cannot. If this action did not pacify Russia and lead to a peaceful result then - and only then - we would know that we should deal very strongly against Russia.
- Posted by LNSaakasvili gambled with lives thousands of peoples. Ordered shelling sleeping Tshinvali at 6am. Killed hundreds may be thousands. He should be tried and punished for this crime.
- Posted by RalphIt seems rather obvious that the Russians had planned this all for some time. The military forces brought into the Georgian region would have taken some real preperation and planning. Nothing and nobody moves that fast. I antcipate that in the next few day that the Russian military will be in control of the formerly democratic state of Georgia.
- Posted by KenLacy says:
8:10 pm GMT
While Russia has a history of aggression, wake up, Georgia clearly started this and Russia can not be blamed for its prompt response. What were the Georgians thinking?!? South Ossetia is just as much a part of Russia as any other faction or state making up its country. I am in favor of the cease fire, but I think it is absurd Georgia thought anything but this could happen upon their violation on international boarders and fire on a country…of all countries…RUSSIA.
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Not that clear. Remember that Saakashvili said from the beginning this was in resonse to S. Ossete military action. Now I admit it is hard to see what military action could have justified the indiscriminate bombing of Tskhinvali, but this is the question that will have to be answered at Saakashvili’s war crime trial.
BTW: obviously I do not expect a fair trial from Russia. Besides: Georgia is a signatory to the ICC, so the ICC should try him.
What were the Georgians thinking? The question should really be: what was Saakashvili thinking? The timing was his idea, after all. And it was clearly both morally and tactically wrong.
But here is where you start sounding like a Kremlin stooge: no S. Ossetia is NOT part of Russia. That is the Kremlin’s big lie they have been spreading ever since they sent their ‘peacekeepers’ to the region. That is the lie they use to rationalize their occupation.
And what is this nonsense of violating “international borders”? Georgia didn’t do this, Russia did. According to international law, both Abkhazia and S. Ossetia both still belong to Georgia: it is only the right to administer it they temporarily lost due to the 1990-92 treaties under which the ‘peacekeepers’ take that right.
And if they had confined their activities to legitimate peacekeeping, all this would never have happened. But instead, they insisted on acting as occupiers, giving Russian passports to Georgian citizens, supporting separatist governments, and in general, running the provinces as their own.
Who do you think is getting all the tax and customs revenues? Georgia gets none of it. And Abkhazia was always the richest province!
- Posted by Matt J.Hopefully this will remain just a cold war between Russia and the US. Bush has already squandered our troops on a war in a country that did not threaten the US.
- Posted by NealSomebody asked:
Why is no one western country offer a simple help (medical, food, etc) to the thousand and thousand osetian civilians flee from battlefield?
- Posted by Matt J.===========================
Because we can’t GET to it! All the airfields and roads have long been controlled by Russia. Besides: Russia wants the credit for all the humanitarian aid to the refugees.
By the way:
Putin said: “They (the Americans) of course had to hang Saddam Hussein for destroying several Shiite villages, …But the current Georgian rulers who in one hour simply wiped 10 Ossetian villages from the face of the earth, the Georgian rulers which used tanks to run over children and the elderly, which threw civilians into cellars and burnt them — they (Georgian leaders) are players that have to be protected.”
The quote is from: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/i dUSL768040420080811?feedType=RSS&feedNam e=topNews&pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChann el=0
He’s right for one point of view: Georgia was commiting genocide and Europe and US are protecting Georgia because Russia is the bad guy and Georgia is an US ally.
However, he’s not better because he was suppostedly attacking georgian civilians too. There’s no easy way to finish this problem without civilian casualties.
THE POINT IS: There is not a good guy in this “little” war. Only victims. Putin is looking foward to charge Georgian leaders with genocide charges just like US did to Saddam and noone can say a thing because US did it first. However, is not valid to act the same as others did because killing is just wrong.
- Posted by Icarin