Thread: In current Russia-Georgia conflict, who is right?

Pontic genocide? Don't think NATO existed then so how can you say Turkey was a NATO member at the time?

"Genocide" is always a relative term. What happened in Georgia, 2000 civilians dead at most - and even those spread between the warring factions? That's not genocide. That's not even an atrocity, as it's typically been called. That's pretty standard collateral damage, actually even rather low for urban combat.

People are damn fast throwing around the word genocide nowadays.

Indeed if Genocide were a global flu pandemic this war is a tummy upset! Upleaseant and regretable it is - "genocide" it is not.

Basically all Russia did was to issue passports to these people that were under threat of "genocide" which we know didnt exist. Russia used it as a ploy to invade Georgia so basically showing the world her hand and how the regime will play ball and that Putin once again leads the team not the elected fellow as we suspected.

So lets see all we need to do is be like Russia, Issue passports claim a genocide threat exists for "our citizens" and then invade a soverign country. Anybody for Cuba? Mexico? Venezuala or other?

Say hows about we do the very same thing and still run the oil lines through the Caspian and around Russia.

Once again back to old tricks. Pathetic!

Originally Posted by kato

"Genocide" is always a relative term. What happened in Georgia, 2000 civilians dead at most

Not unless they were going from house to a house, and finally rounded all Osetians up and shred them into pieces with daggers. Starting with children. And it looks like this is just what happened...

So right now Moscow got some cards in their sleeve and they are not really rushing to play it.

Didn't the whole operation looked very carefully executed to you? I would not dismiss anything that Russia did or say there so easily.

P.S. IMHO They just want all Saakasvili supporters to get involved, so that plays against all of them later.

Give the Georgians US passports. Russians are in Gerogia....Moscow here we come! Easy!

Except the majority of South Ossetians wanted to be part of North Ossetia/Russia during the breakup of the USSR, they didn't want to be part of Georgia. Hence the war they had with Georgia. Hence the reason that there is this problem in the first place.

Originally Posted by King Six

Except the majority of South Ossetians wanted to be part of North Ossetia/Russia during the breakup of the USSR, they didn't want to be part of Georgia. Hence the war they had with Georgia. Hence the reason that there is this problem in the first place.

Exactly. Georgia is far from blameless in this. IMHO however the biggest stirrer has been Russia who has played off one against the other for their own game.

Does anybody doubt that Russia had the capability and opportunity to control the South Ossestian militia to the extent that they would not have been able to cause ANY provocation to Georgia, while at the same time maintain Osset de facto independence. In other words, actually act as competent peacekeeper? Russia can neutralize the Georgian military in less than a week, but can't control the Osset who have been conducting attacks on Georgian villages regularly before the Georgian Army responded?

Whatever reassurance the west gave Georgia that it might be supported in its actions, it is nothing compared to the physical presence Russia maintained in the break away provinces for the past 15 years. If Russia were truely interested in preserving Osset life, let alone human life in general, they could have acted to prevent provocations and responded to any Georgian provocation proportionately, while pursuing sanction of Georgia short of invasion either unilaterally or better yet, through the international community.

It seems that Russia was fully preparred to launch a full scale, practically unlimed attack on Georgia, but not preparred to competently perform peacekeeping duties that has been their stated mission for the past fifteen years. The only logic behind this is that Russia used the Ossets as an excuse to START a conflict with Georgia to serve Russian goals. I find it hard to believe that the loss of life means much to the Russian leadership given their reluctance to prevent this war.

Originally Posted by mweber24

Does anybody doubt that Russia had the capability and opportunity to control the South Ossestian militia to the extent that they would not have been able to cause ANY provocation to Georgia, while at the same time maintain Osset de facto independence. In other words, actually act as competent peacekeeper? Russia can neutralize the Georgian military in less than a week, but can't control the Osset who have been conducting attacks on Georgian villages regularly before the Georgian Army responded?

Whatever reassurance the west gave Georgia that it might be supported in its actions, it is nothing compared to the physical presence Russia maintained in the break away provinces for the past 15 years. If Russia were truely interested in preserving Osset life, let alone human life in general, they could have acted to prevent provocations and responded to any Georgian provocation proportionately, while pursuing sanction of Georgia short of invasion either unilaterally or better yet, through the international community.

It seems that Russia was fully preparred to launch a full scale, practically unlimed attack on Georgia, but not preparred to competently perform peacekeeping duties that has been their stated mission for the past fifteen years. The only logic behind this is that Russia used the Ossets as an excuse to START a conflict with Georgia to serve Russian goals. I find it hard to believe that the loss of life means much to the Russian leadership given their reluctance to prevent this war.

well said!