Russia: Other Points of View

Russia's Move into Georgia

by William Rusher, Tuesday, August 19, 2008

I hope my six-decades-long reputation as a redoubtable Cold Warrior will protect me from the suspicion that "Rusher has gone soft on Moscow" if I confess that I am considerably less worried by Russia's recent move into Georgia than many American observers seem to be.

Who Started Cold War II?

by Patrick J. Buchanan, August 19, 2008

The American people should be eternally grateful to Old Europe for having spiked the Bush-McCain plan to bring Georgia into NATO.

Had Georgia been in NATO when Mikheil Saakashvili invaded South Ossetia, we would be eyeball to eyeball with Russia, facing war in the Caucasus, where Moscow's superiority is as great as U.S. superiority in the Caribbean during the Cuban missile crisis.

Russia's War Is The West's Challenge

by MIKHAIL SAAKASHVILI, Washington Post, Aug 14, 2008

RMW Analysis by Russia:Other Points of View

The Washington Post continues its anti-Russian campaign by supporting Georgia in its war against Russia; a war Georgia initiated by storming the capital of its breakaway republic of South Ossetia and killing and wounding hundreds of South Ossetian residents and Russian peacekeepers in violation of an internationally mandated ceasefire. Here, the Washington Post provides space to perhaps the main instigator of the war himself, Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili.

To be sure, Russia had neither the moral nor legal right to move beyond the breakaway republic in retaliating. But neither did Georgia have justification for its actions. In addition to Georgia and Russia, their allies have blame to bear as well. The U.S. armed and trained the Georgian army as its president refused Russian, Ossetian, and Abkhazian offers to sign an agreement rejecting the use of force to resolve the ‘frozen conflict.’ The breakaway republics, like Georgian and Russian forces, staged numerous provocations over the years designed to undermine the ceasefire.

Instead of presenting at least some of the complexity of the situation, the Washington Post, like the entire Western mainstream media has endeavored to blame Russia entirely for the war, using Georgian statements as a news source and ignoring Russian and Ossetian claims. One wonders whether in the interests of long-forgotten journalistic objectivity some Western mainstream media organ will give space for a Russian or South Ossetian official to respond and why one was not invited to provided space simultaneously with Saakhashvili.

To view the full version, please click here Download WP_Saakhashvili_14_August_2008.doc

Putin Makes His Move

by ROBERT KAGAN, Washington Post, August 11, 2008

RMW Analysis by Russia:Other Points of View

In this Washington Post op-ed piece international relations observer Robert Kagan offers a badly one-sided interpretation of the causes of the Russo-Georgian war that recently broke out as expected by ROPV. He urges readers to ignore inconvenient details regarding the run-up to the conflict and then provides his own to accuse Russia at every turn. In Kagan’s view and the unanimous view of the Western mainstream media and academia only Russia should be blamed for the outbreak of war. All other parties are entirely innocent, and any mistakes they may have made are to be discounted; this, despite the fact that the Georgian army attacked South Ossetia first in an all-out offensive that included artillery fired at population centers. This is the kind of attack that Western governments and NGOs condemned Russia for in its wars in Chechnya.

To view the full version, please click here Download WP_Kagan_11_Aug_08.doc

The Russo-Georgian War and the Balance of Power

by GEORGE FRIEDMAN, www. stratfor.com (Strategic Forecasting Inc), August 12, 2008

The Russian invasion of Georgia has not changed the balance of power in Eurasia. It simply announced that the balance of power had already shifted. The United States has been absorbed in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as potential conflict with Iran and a destabilizing situation in Pakistan. It has no strategic ground forces in reserve and is in no position to intervene on the Russian periphery. This, as we have argued, has opened a window of opportunity for the Russians to reassert their influence in the former Soviet sphere. Moscow did not have to concern itself with the potential response of the United States or Europe; hence, the invasion did not shift the balance of power. The balance of power had already shifted, and it was up to the Russians when to make this public. They did that Aug. 8.

Let's begin simply by reviewing the last few days.

McCain's People and Obama's People Are Heading For Moscow

by ANDREI TEREKHOV, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, August 6, 2008

We have learned of a bipartisan commission being set up in the USA to prepare a report for the next president regarding Washington's policy on Russia. The commission includes politicians, diplomats, and experts - including some with direct influence on the foreign policy views of the presidential candidates. According to our sources, the commission will send a delegation to Moscow in November.

A Path to Peace in the Caucasus

by MIKHAIL GORBACHEV, Washington Post, August 12, 2008

MOSCOW -- The past week's events in South Ossetia are bound to shock and pain anyone. Already, thousands of people have died, tens of thousands have been turned into refugees, and towns and villages lie in ruins. Nothing can justify this loss of life and destruction. It is a warning to all.