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I don't see the Russians fighting directly.

Tallgeese wrote:

I wouldn't call this an "invasion" since Ossetia is part of Georgia.

At least no more so than England invading the US in the late 1770s or the US invading the CS in the 1860s.

Jesus, I stand corrected.

"All day today they've been bombing Georgia from numerous warplanes and specifically targeting (the) civilian population, and we have scores of wounded and dead among (the) civilian population all around the country," Mikhail Saakashvili told CNN in an exclusive interview.

Saakashvili also said Georgian troops had shot down two Russian aircraft.

Asked whether Georgia and Russia were now at war, he said, "My country is in self-defense against Russian aggression. Russian troops invaded Georgia."

Russian television showed a convoy of Russian tanks and said they were heading into the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia as escalating tensions over the region threatened to boil into full blown conflict.

Группа крови - на рукаве,
Мой порядковый номер - на рукаве

Russia really loves her some border wars!

Better question - does anyone (other than the Georgians and Russians) care? The US is wrapped up in two wars already, and the British are pretty deep in it with us. I'm having a hard time imagining almost any other forces in Europe willing to take on the Russians at this juncture.

If push comes to shove, it looks like the playground monitor may be missing from the schoolyard.

I don't think many people care, but they should.

Hopefully this is just a border skirmish. But how far will the Russians go? Will they try to bring Georgia back into the Soviet-style fold? Seems an extreme scenario, but in the vacuum left by Dubya's policies, more is possible now than has been for quite some time.

radarman wrote:

Tallgeese wrote:

Maybe they can bring it up to the UN Security Council.

Hey, UN resolutions have worked in similar situations to this before. Oh, wait - nevermind...

Did they take away Russia's veto?

Russia bombs oil facilities

That's some fine bombing they have there... they should have brought that game to Iraq.

radarman wrote:

Better question - does anyone (other than the Georgians and Russians) care?

Are you joking?  The main, US-financed, oil pipeline from Azerbaijan that delivers huge amounts of oil directly to Western Europe goes through Georgia (in order to not go through Russia and/or Iran).

If you've not noticed gas prices are high around the world, and supply is tight.  Knock yourself out not caring.

I think it has broader ramifications because Georgia has been trying to get into NATO for some time now, and has even talked of joining the EU. Meanwhile the Russkies deliberately targeted, by the accounts I've seen, the oil pipeline to Turkey. Meanwhile what is the West doing? Not a goddamned thing so far. Nor will it. No one has much stomach for tensions with Russia.

This backing-down will have spin-off effects, most likely. For example Russia will feel emboldened to be tougher on the world stage, including such hotspots as Iran.

Russia wouldn't have attacked.