David Frum argues (convincingly, IMHO) that the first consequence of the Russian invasion of Georgia has come to pass in Poland:
Much of the coverage of the Georgia crisis has emphasized that the US has “no options” or “no leverage.”
Not so fast. The signing of the US-Polish deal on missile defense is the deployment of option one.
The deal had stalled till now over one last lingering issue: the Poles wanted the US to provide as part of the deal a battery of Patriot missiles, operated by US soldiers, to protect them against a Russian attack on their territory. The Russians objected, and the US had accordingly refused to provide them. Indeed, to date, no US combat troops are stationed anywhere in Poland, out of deference to Russian sensibilities.
Suddenly that is about to change. Poland will get its Patriots plus a company of US soldiers. Russia will have to face a missile defense base on its borders. And the US has just served notice in a very painful way that Russian sensibilities suddenly count for a lot less than they used to do.
More consequences to come, I suspect.
I sincerely hope more consequences are in the offing, but this is a start.
August 15, 2008 at 5:36 pm |
Why is all this nonsense necessary?Philosophically this is the ignorance and greed of politics.Puting political sellfishness in tryiing to dominate each other and act hippocritally sometimes without regard to humanity.This as one hypocrically attacks and thiinks he can get away with it and when caught blames the other hypocritally with political approval.. This iscynical behavior of politics.Use phylosophy as a gage not theatrics and selfish politics.
August 15, 2008 at 8:43 pm |
[...] As Russia continues to press towards Tblisi (New York Times) and the free world rouses from its slumber, there still seems to be disconnect about just why Georgia’s survival (and that is [...]