Worth reading. Covers Georgia, the Near Abroad, and the Middle East. The main aim will be to weaken America’s position in the Middle East. In this respect, there are differences of opinion in the Kremlin. Some ex-generals have come on … Continue reading →
Worth reading beyond the fairly rhetorical question in the headline. RFE/RL always does a good job. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →John Bolton is on fire in the Telegraph. Not least because he uses some of the historical allusions the Volgi has pulled out. The West, collectively, failed in this crisis. And he takes the Bushies to the woodshed. Great stuff. … Continue reading →
The question now is whether the bear is wounded by its increasing international isolation, or is it still hungry to reestablish hegemony in its self-declared sphere of influence. “Mmmm, Georgia was good. How about a piece of Poland for dessert?” … Continue reading →
…Fred Thompson‘s never run for president. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →…every problem starts to look like a nail. Europe’s self-mesmerization with “soft power,” encapsulated perfectly: “What would it take,” I asked, “for Europe to stop treating Putin like a democrat? If all opposition parties are banned? Or what if they … Continue reading →
If the Georgians want to fight, Stuart Koehl has some ideas on how we can help. He doesn’t mention it, but we should be preemptively providing this kind of military assistance to other democratic countries in Russia’s sights, particularly Ukraine. … Continue reading →
Excellent piece in Small Wars Journal: …The return of strongman rule to Russia, and particularly one who regards the demise of the Soviet Union as a historic catastrophe, is now a fact of international life to which we will all … Continue reading →
Wow. Ukraine looks like they’ve realized that it’s on, and they’re trying to effectively lock up the Russian Black Sea Fleet. (Via Michael Ledeen @ NRO.) Good for them. As Krauthammer argues infra: we have cards; we need to play … Continue reading →
Charles Krauthammer has some excellent suggestions. And he grasps what this is all about: The real objective is the Finlandization of Georgia through the removal of President Mikheil Saakashvili and his replacement by a Russian puppet. If you don’t read … Continue reading →
According to Saakashvili at any rate: For too long, we all underestimated the ruthlessness of the regime in Moscow. Yesterday brought further evidence of its duplicity: Within 24 hours of Russia agreeing to a cease-fire, its forces were rampaging through … Continue reading →
…Mr. Johnson, who’s evidently on the same page as the Œcumenical Volgi. “The Russian invasion of Georgia is a damning indictment of Western, and especially European, diplomacy….If the Russian bluff is ever going to be called, it had much better … Continue reading →
On NRO’s Corner, John Derbyshire argues: Either you believe the U.S.A. ought to commit — in writing — that we shall go to war on behalf of Georgia (Estonia, the Ukraine, etc.), or you believe we ought not. Precisely backwards. … Continue reading →
Read ’em in full. Melik Kaylan: Having overestimated the power of the Soviet Union in its last years, we have consistently underestimated the ambitions of Russia since. Already, a great deal has been said about the implications of Russia’s invasion … Continue reading →
Well, this would be nice, if it’s true and it sticks. It’s a welcome distance short of the deposition of the Georgian government I was expecting. If this holds, it’s because Russia’s made her point; now, the ball is in … Continue reading →
…in today’s Wall Street Journal. Worth reading throughout. However, if you don’t have the time, just read this: Reversing this course will not be easy, but it is absolutely necessary. At stake are international law, energy security, NATO’s future, and … Continue reading →
Instead of a series of incoherent responses to Russian actions, we should get out in front of this problem by defining it on our terms: a sovereign Georgia, a South Ossetia whose future is decided by negotiation and not force, … Continue reading →
Over at NRO’s Corner, Punditissimo Jonah Goldberg wonders why the heck Obama’s response is to refer the Ossetian War to the UN Security Council. I’d have thought the answer was obvious: the left’s innate aversion to any sort of positive … Continue reading →
Senator McCain whipped out his foreign policy and security bona fides again today in addressing Russia’s “peacekeeping” efforts in Georgia, warning the Russians of “severe, long-term negative consequences” involving a few tricks Senator McCain picked up during his time visiting … Continue reading →
Where’s your “no blood for oil” now? China’s got the frickin’ PLA in Sudan to protect its oil deals with the genocidal government, and you decide the best way to deal with the crisis is to go to the UN. … Continue reading →
The Œcumenical Volgi has been on the road and, due to a dodgy wifi connection, unable to blog at any length. Ensconced in an airport with all the modern conveniences, he can finally address the horrific events in South Ossetia … Continue reading →
