Russian tanks enter South Ossetia

It never ceases to grate when people refer to the UN as some sort of body external to the governments of the world. You are part of the UN.

That is exactly right. And frankly, it isn't clear cut to me who's right about this.

Well, I favor Georgia in the dispute, as Ossetia is part of Georgia.

However, this particular action on Georgia's part =

Many people in Ossetia seem to disagree.

I think this is just the first step towards repeating this game for the Ukraine, which has a large Russian-speaking part in its East. And that could get really ugly...

I'm sure many do, but we can't exactly have political exclaves popping up everywhere a cluster of people coagulate within a sovereign nation, lest we end up with Mexican microstates within America and a Europe Swiss cheesed with myriad miniature Islamic Republics

This Georgia can take care of itself.

I have nothing against microstates. And IIUC, and I might well be wrong because I hadn't heard about this place ever before, they want to join Russia rather tha go alone, right?

Actually, I've heard they want independence, just like Kosovo. But union with Russia could certainly follow, I'm sure.

This will not end well.

On the plus side, I'm sure the UN is already drafting a Sternly Worded Letter. That should do it.

Hopefully in Cyrillic letters...they're more formidable and imposing

"Oh, now be honest, Captain, warrior to warrior. You do prefer it this way, don't you, as it was meant to be? No peace in our time."



"In ten days I'll have a war on with those Communist bastards, and I'll make it look like THEIR fault."



"I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war."



"This happens every time one of these floozies starts poontangin' around with those show folk fags."​

Okay, I really haven't got any idea about this conflict. I have been googling,a nd everything I can find looks as if the separatists and by extension probably the Russians have a point. Educate me: Am I missing something?

Whoa...let's not jump the gun here!
The UN could just start with a verbal admonishment (via telephone) first.
Failing that, a unified tounge lashing is in order!

In light of Kosovo's independence and its recognition by much of the world, yes it's hard to deny that the Russians have a point.

Typical Russians. Always picking fights with easy opponents.

This is seriously fucked. Probable flashpoint to be sure.

Georgia has been a serious American ally since Communism fell, and this has annoyed the shit out of the Russians. Georgia has been courted so much, it's been promised a NATO membership. The whole thing smacks of German expansionism before the second world war.

If we do nothing, we're utterly discredited. Nobody will take our alliances seriously because we're weak and fickle, and they will instead cower under the Russians, who will no doubt be emboldened by the move (they've been rather open about their threats against the Ukraine, who has moved in a similar direction as Georgia).

This shifts the balance of power for sure, but I fear it has the very real possibility of escalating into a major war.

Georgia has asked the US to expedite the return of the 2000 troops they have in Iraq at the moment. Guess who's going to have to make that up. And Fiji doesn't count.

Actually, with the way things are going in Iraq right now, you might not need those 2,000 troops anymore.

Surge 2: The Quickening

They're only going in there to stop a potential ethnic cleansing. Ossetia has a large population of Russians in it, and its been reported that some Russian villages have already been attacked . I think 10 Russia peacekeepers in the region have been killed also.

Georgia started it, and Russia will finish it.

What was that? Poles are attacking radio stations?

Great joke... I think. I dont understand what the joke means, or what point it has.

I guess it sounded cool in your head though Good effort.

^ It's the pretext that the Germans used to attack Poland in 1939.

See? Now the Russians would have done kicked Mexico's ass.

One which they've been pouring millions of rubles into for ages now. Apparently, there wasn't much of a "seperatist" movement until cash starting showing up from "somewhere." (Gee, you don't think that a Russia newly solvent with money they got from rising oil prices and confiscated oil companies might have anything to do with it?) Supposedly, the "seperatist" movement was little more than a couple of cranks with a lithograph machine until they "got lucky" and got money.

This just goes to prove that 99% of politics is simply "Keep the Idiots Busy," IMHO, as rarely do any of the organizations people fap on about, have the capital to do anything, other than be propped up as a whipping boy. You wanna send America into chaos? Its easy right now. Just whack Obama, not only will this throw the election to the winds. McCain can't exactly claim that his policies would have protected Obama without looking like a heel. Hillary will fare little better what with her "Bobby Kennedy" comments a while back. There will be riots (I won't call them race riots, since I'm sure plenty of white Obama supporters will join in), with accusations that the Administration deliberately botched protecting Obama because they were worried he was going to win. Then, once someone does get elected, they're going to have to spend the bulk of their time just trying to get shit here fixed, and won't be able to worry too much about anything else.

Unless that President is a political genius of the kind we've never seen before, they'll be a single termer, with the next President having only a slightly better chance of getting a second term. Nobody wants any of that, however, as it'll screw the entire global economy.

Well, uh.... I came in country on a Globemaster full of Georgians. They also had a large presence in Baqubah. These days they are one of the top troop contributors to MNF-I (Multi National Force Iraq).


We owe them IMO.

The BBC was doing the same.

Here's what Wiki's got, although it appears a little contradictory. Second sentence says they were supposed to cut down to 300 this summer, but then at the end it states that due to hostilities with Russia they are cutting the number of troops in half, to 1k.


* Georgia - 2000 troops deployed near the Iranian border as of October 8, 2007.[22] Politicians have stated that the contingent will be reduced to 300 in summer 2008.[23] Georgia's contribution to the Coalition originally consisted of 300 special forces troops under U.S. command in Baqouba, who guarded two bridges as well as American Forward Operating Bases 'Caldwell', 'Warhorse' and 'Gabe'. 550 more troops were deployed in June 2005 for UNAMI, although these were placed under U.S. command on a dangerous 'Middle Ring Security' mission in the Green Zone.[24] On March 9, 2007, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili announced his plans to increase total Georgian troop strength in Iraq to 2000, by sending an extra 1,200 troops and moving those already in Iraq to join the new unit.[25] As of July 2008, five Georgian soldiers have died in Iraq (one in a vehicle accident, one committed suicide, while three died in combat) and 19 were wounded.[26]

Following the outbreak of war between Georgia and Russia on August 8, 2008, Mikheil Saakashvili said that Georgia was pulling half its 2,000-strong troops from Iraq.[27]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multinational_force_in_Iraq

Looks like it's going in to a full on war now, Two Russian jets shot down.

Russian Paratroops are reported to have "liberated" the South Ossetian capital and bombing the hell out of small towns near the capital.






[Update edit] Russia is reported to be sending more troops to georgia and the President of Gerorgia declares that geeorgia is offically in a state of war now. [edit]