Reply to: Should the UK go to war with Russia ?

[DodgyAgent]

Agree.

Though watched newsnight last week, and a former US diplomat to Russia made a very good point, we, inadvertently, encouraged Georgia to initiate the attack (Falling right into the Russian lap) by GWB visiting last year and expressing our support etc for Georgia and encouraging them to believe they were about to join NATO.

His point, well made was that there is no strategic interest in having Georgia as part of NATO, and it's too far away from us to be easily protected if it did join NATO. By encouraging this we effectively gave the hot headed Georgian president the go ahead to do what he wanted with his dodgy regions (Russian support for unrest aside).

Strikes me as shooting ourselves in the foot slightly. On the other hand it does seem pretty clear now to the world, what a lot of us have suspected for a while now, namely Russia is not to be trusted, under the current government. Think it's maybe time to stop trying to placate them, and be nice and instead be arsey instead - by whatever means that don't involve war, for now.

snaw we are agreeing... again !

[snaw]

Fool

Agree.

Though watched newsnight last week, and a former US diplomat to Russia made a very good point, we, inadvertently, encouraged Georgia to initiate the attack (Falling right into the Russian lap) by GWB visiting last year and expressing our support etc for Georgia and encouraging them to believe they were about to join NATO.

His point, well made was that there is no strategic interest in having Georgia as part of NATO, and it's too far away from us to be easily protected if it did join NATO. By encouraging this we effectively gave the hot headed Georgian president the go ahead to do what he wanted with his dodgy regions (Russian support for unrest aside).

Strikes me as shooting ourselves in the foot slightly. On the other hand it does seem pretty clear now to the world, what a lot of us have suspected for a while now, namely Russia is not to be trusted, under the current government. Think it's maybe time to stop trying to placate them, and be nice and instead be arsey instead - by whatever means that don't involve war, for now.

[DodgyAgent]

Erm, all my expectations are coming true. Contrary to what some people here predicted, there are no talks about annexing anything or removing the Georgian president by the Russians. The oil pipeline is there as well.

The Russians were in it just to score some political points at home, and assert their influence in the region.

Fool

[bored]

Erm, all my expectations are coming true. Contrary to what some people here predicted, there are no talks about annexing anything or removing the Georgian president by the Russians. The oil pipeline is still there as well.

The Russians were in it just to score some political points at home, and assert their influence in the region.

[Cyberman]

Georgia and Russia agree on truce:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7557457.stm

"Georgian troops return to their places of permanent deployment. Russian troops return to pre-conflict positions."

Just as I predicted, all Russia wanted was a return to the pre-conflict state (along with an opportunity to do as much damage to the Georgian military while they could get away with it).

Still no clue though what the Georgian president was thinking when he ordered the attack on South Ossetia, did he really expect Russia to not intervene?

Undone by your smugness BORED. You are being proven more wrong as each day passes.

[Cyberman]

It appears that the Georgian Millitary has been effectively liquidated and Russia now has control over Ossetia, the Georgian President seriously miscalculated , the unprovoked attack by Georgia resulting in the death of 1500 Russian citizens on Ossieta amounts to an act of State Terrorism and a War Crime.

This is rubbish because figures confirmed by Ossetia at the weekend now state 160 confirmed killed. Yet more propaganda by Russia proven to be scandalously inaccurate. Still it has suited their cause because you believed it !!

[AlfredJPruffock]

Georgia and Russia agree on truce:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7557457.stm

"Georgian troops return to their places of permanent deployment. Russian troops return to pre-conflict positions."

Just as I predicted, all Russia wanted was a return to the pre-conflict state (along with an opportunity to do as much damage to the Georgian military while they could get away with it).

Still no clue though what the Georgian president was thinking when he ordered the attack on South Ossetia, did he really expect Russia to not intervene?

It appears that the Georgian Millitary has been effectively liquidated and Russia now has control over Ossetia, the Georgian President seriously miscalculated , the unprovoked attack by Georgia resulting in the death of 1500 Russian citizens on Ossieta amounts to an act of State Terrorism and a War Crime.

[bored]

Georgia and Russia agree on truce:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7557457.stm

"Georgian troops return to their places of permanent deployment. Russian troops return to pre-conflict positions."

Just as I predicted, all Russia wanted was a return to the pre-conflict state (along with an opportunity to do as much damage to the Georgian military while they could get away with it).

Still no clue though what the Georgian president was thinking when he ordered the attack on South Ossetia, did he really expect Russia to not intervene?

[DodgyAgent]

Au contraire Nicky G , one needs only to recall the Cuban Missile crises to learn that Russian and America are very sensitive indeed to any nuclear missile build near their respective borders.

Furthermore , as you mentioned , if it is just a question of firing ICBMs from submarines then why should NATO bother with their aggressive policy ?

NATO's provocative policy surely has now to be reviewed accordingly.

That is a bit like saying that the Poles provoked the Nazis into invading them in WW2

[DodgyAgent]

I'm not disputing some of the above may be true, but you can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs.

You underestimate the dangers of having a single dominant superpower dictating it's terms to every other state, controlling their governments through bribery, controlling the world's energy resources and bleeding them dry. Barring any large change in US foreign policy (who knows, maybe the Democrats will be better) there has to be a counter balance.

As for "democratically elected", it doesn't make a huge difference to me personally whether the president of Georgia is a US puppet or a Russian puppet.

Thank god for Hitler in WW2 then, without him there would have been a serious imbalance in the balance of power

[AlfredJPruffock]

Again, utter nonsense. Do you realize how many ICBM's Russia has? How many it has that are most likely undeclared? Do you realize that any first strike would come from submarines? That before that there would be a little “diversion” in the form of an “Islamic” terror strike where US leadership is decapitated?

Au contraire Nicky G , one needs only to recall the Cuban Missile crises to learn that Russian and America are very sensitive indeed to any nuclear missile build near their respective borders.

Furthermore , as you mentioned , if it is just a question of firing ICBMs from submarines then why should NATO bother with their aggressive policy ?

NATO's provocative policy surely has now to be reviewed accordingly.

[Bob Dalek]

I lived through the 70's with the Protect and Survive leaflets to keep me company. I ain't scared in the least.

Agreed! The bloody public information films were infinitely more scary than the Ruskies.

[DimPrawn]

World War 3 coming up. Russian (and Chinese) commies in control. This is the first of many incursions designed to test the West. You think it's all over - to quote Randy Bachman, you ain't seen nowt yet.

I lived through the 70's with the Protect and Survive leaflets to keep me company. I ain't scared in the least.

[Nicky G]

World War 3 coming up. Russian (and Chinese) commies in control. This is the first of many incursions designed to test the West. You think it's all over - to quote Randy Bachman, you ain't seen nowt yet.

[GreenerGrass]

It's a pity we can't get a regime change here. Come on Russia, come on over and protect the British people from our own government. Think of the cheap oil and gas we would get too.