generalspeaking

Desperately Adrift, Abandoned

That, in any event, is what it must seem like to the people of Georgia. They were given to believe that they had been accepted by the Western powers, that their own sacrifices in sending troops to join the U.S.'s "coalition of the willing" to fight against terror in Iraq would have earned them respect and support. They may now have the respect of the rest of the world, but support is somehow being withheld. Hardly surprising, given that no other nation feels like risking their own safety in angering a resurgently-aggressive Russia.

While the European Union and other countries of the world desperately scramble to provide diplomatic impetus to persuade Russia to withdraw from its destructive mission to utterly destabilize and humiliate Georgia for its effrontery in standing up for its legal and state rights against Russian demands, they're powerless. Russia insists that Georgia has engaged in "genocide", something that Russia and its troops have been well schooled in provoking on their own, although the descriptive is absurdly, redundantly overblown.

Russia, on its peace-keeping mission within Georgia, claims it has no intention of venturing beyond South Ossetia, but it has mobilized a huge number of troops and transports along with armaments and it is obviously set to deliver an immense blow to Georgia. As a message to the world at large, that it remains a power to be reckoned with. As a direct message to its former satellites, those that have not yet joined the EU and NATO, that they should cease and desist.

There's also a message for the United States and for Israel in there, not a very oblique one, at that. Informing both that if they persist in arming and supporting Georgia, Russia will in turn step up the quality and quantity of support and arms it gives to Iran, Syria and Hezbollah. A most persuasive argument, to be certain. The United States, in turn, can afford to sit tight and condemn Russian aggression from its steady-state podium.

Israel can afford to do no such thing, and having received the message, immediately took steps to refrain from further support for Georgia, despite its close ties with the country. For special emphasis, to ensure that its message would not be lost, Russia bombed a military plant in Georgia where Israeli experts were in the process of upgrading Georgian military jet fighters. Those Israeli defence experts currently in Georgia will be withdrawn. They will no longer engage in training the country's air force and infantry.

Whatever will be left of both, once Russia has finally concluded its brutal rampage. No further sales of artillery systems and aerial vehicles will take place. Georgian army units will no longer be trained by Israelis. And a horribly beset small country summarily invaded by a powerful,much larger aggressor, infinitely better equipped, far more determined to prevail, is left adrift on the world stage, in a paroxysm of violent upheaval.

Georgian President Saakashvili may have ordered his forces to withdraw and cease firing. Offering a cessation of hostilities and to take part in peace talks with Russia, to take place immediately, please and thank you very much. But Russia will have no part of it. Russia has other plans. Did anyone really think that Vladimir Putin was standing down, and taking on a diplomatic back-seat role as prime minister? What is another country's sovereign rights in the face of Russia's implacability in its righteous anger over former satellites' casual disregard of its former status?

Georgia can now take heart that the world will continue to recognize Georgia's "territorial integrity", its right to advance with military determination against a breakaway province whose separatist intriguers have themselves attacked villages outside South Ossetia to make certain their message of violent disagreement and discontent with the proffered autonomy does not suit their purpose. Intervention of any kind of military direction, not so much.

Diplomatic overtures to Russia, however, those in abundance. Alas, how could it be otherwise?

Labels: Social-Cultural Deviations, Troublespots, World Crises

posted by Pieface @ Monday, August 11, 2008