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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices
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To: Taro who wrote (405833)8/12/2008 3:13:02 PM
From: combjelly  Read Replies (2) of 1574680
 
"You do know that Putin distributed Russian passports ad libitum to the citizens of Georgia in South East Ossetia from 2006, don't you?"

Yes.

I am fully aware that Russia has been looking for an excuse to do what they are doing now. They have been building up troops along the border for months. Lucky for them that Georgia pulled a stupid and gave them an excuse they didn't have to manufacture.

I am not claiming that Putin is an angel. He is not. I have expressed concern over the direction he is taking Russia more than once. And I have mentioned Russia as one of the malefactors that our energy "policy" has put us in a weak position with.

Your wingnut buddies have been a lot more approving of Russia than I have been. And they show an appalling ignorance of the geopolitical realities there. If I hadn't had so much experience plumbing the depths of their ignorance, I might actually be appalled. As it is, I just accept it.

But, let's look at the reality. The only ally with any strength we have in the region is Turkey. And they aren't happy with us. In fact, under the present circumstances, they are likely to move closer to Russia. Any military solution would require support by air from the west over Bulgaria and Hungary. We have no naval bases on the Black Sea and attempting to force ships through the Bosporus in the face of a hostile Russia would be a bloody exercise. The only alternative would be an invasion of Russia proper, which likely would involve nukes.

It isn't like we have much in the way of economic levers. if anything, Russia has most of the available levers themselves. We have allowed them to gain control of much of the oil and gas flow of the region, so they have a huge advantage. So, what else can we do?

The quick answer is, not a whole lot. In fact, nothing that isn't totally symbolic. Those are the facts.
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