ÿþ<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> <title>OnlineColumnist&reg;.com: Putin Punishes Georgia</title> <meta name="generator" content="Adobe GoLive 4"> <style type="text/css"> .style1 { font-size: large; font-weight: bold; } </style> </head> <body bgcolor="white" vlink="black"> <center> <table cool width="624" height="2719" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" gridx="16" showgridx gridy="16" showgridy> <tr height="79"> <td width="133" height="118" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="110" width="62" src="images/discobolos.logo.transp.gif" border="0"></a></td> <td width="7" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="482" height="79" colspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="140"><img height="75" width="450" src="images/banner.GIF"></td> <td width="1" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="79"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="79"></td> </tr> <tr height="39"> <td width="182" height="39"></td> <td width="300" height="39" valign="top" align="left" xpos="322"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="14" width="267" src="images/divisionofNEW.GIF" border="0"></a></td> <td width="1" height="39"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="39"></td> </tr> <tr height="24"> <td width="624" height="24" colspan="6" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="black" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#99ffcc" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> <tr> <td align="center"> <div align="left"> <a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong>HOME</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> &#149; <a href="articlesindex.html">ARTICLES</a> &#149; <a href="books.html">BOOKS</a> &#149; <a href="teflon.html">THE </a><a href="teflon.html">TEFLON</a><a href="teflon.html"> REPORT</a> &#149; <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com">REACTIONS</a> &#149; <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">ABOUT DISCOBOLOS</a></strong></font></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr height="2"> <td width="133" height="2"></td> <td width="489" height="2576" colspan="3" rowspan="2" align="left" xpos="133" content valign="top" csheight="2573"> <font size="5" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"><b>Saakashvili Must Go</b></font> <p><b><font face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica">by John M. Curtis</font></b><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b><a href="books.html"><br> </a></b></font><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b>(310) 204-8700</b></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><i>Copyright August 15, 2008<br>All Rights Reserved. </i></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="style1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; P</span>ushing world to the brink, Georgia s 40-year-old President Mikhail Saakashvili badly miscalculated when he sent his army to annex South Ossetia and Abkhazia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Little did he know that the Russian response would be swift and massive, cutting Georgia like hot knife through butter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>If his amateurish blunder weren t bad enough, Saakashvili continues to inflame the situation running his mouth at a joint press conference in Tbilisi with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signing a truce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> It is obvious . . . the Russian invasion had been planned for months and months and months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>The time of this intervention has been chosen deliberately [with regards] to the Olympics, said Saakashvili, displaying the kind of paranoia that doesn t bode well for Gerogia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Instead of apologizing to Moscow over his reckless attempt to annex Russian-backed provinces, Saakashvili vented his spleen.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;<span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Nothing good can come to Georgia as long as they&#39;re governed by an emotional wreck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Choking back tears, Saakashvili blasted Russia with Rice at his side, simultaneously signing a truce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> It is so clear what happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>We are in the process of invasion, occupation and annihilation of a democratic, independent country,&quot; begging the U.S. and NATO for military help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Saakashvili showed not one shred of contrition for his unprovoked attack with the Georgian army on South Ossetia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Accordiong to information from peacekeepers in South Ossetia, Georgia continues<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>to use military force and in this regard we cannot consider this document, said an official Kremily communique Aug. 10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>At Saakashvili s Aug. 15 truce signing, Saakashvili continued his tirade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>As long as the Georgian president antagonizes the Kremlin, little good can come of peace agreements.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Russian officials were dumbfounded by the West buying Saakashvili s inverted account of events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> It is a shame that some of our partners are not helping us, but essentially are hindering us, said Russian former president and Prime Mininster Vladimir Putin, referring to statements from the White House.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Since the crisis broke Augh 8, the U.S. blamed only Russia for using excessive force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Putin has no problem spewing propaganda, alluding to U.S. meddling in Georgia and Eastern Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Throwing gasoline on the fire, Poland announced Aug. 14 that it had signed a missile defense pact with the U.S. against Russian objections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While Saakashvili begs the West for military help, Russia announced possible repercussions should the U.S. go ahead with missile defense in Poland and the Czech Republic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Poland, by deploying [the system] exposes itself to a strike 100% said Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;<span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Russia s response in Georgia was provoked by Saakashvili s attempt to annex Russian-backed provinces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Whether or not Russia had contingency plans in place is anyone s guess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Saakashvili s contention that Russia would have attacked unprovoked is pure speculation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>He warned Western nations and former Soviet republics that Russia was a clear and provocative threat to all free nations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Nogovitsyn s warning to Poland reflects Moscow s renewed bravado and deteriorated relations with the West.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Bush cited worries about terrorist and rogue regimes like Iran for prompting his missile defense plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Russia sees missile defense as neutralizing its ICBM arsenal, something the Kremilin uses as its main deterrent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>With the invasion of Georgia, the West has a new worry that the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>U.S. and NATO have no answer for Russia s conventional forces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan haven t helped matters.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>U.S. and NATO must rethink plans to deploy missile defense in Eastern Europe or face another Cold War-like arms race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> The Cold War is over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>The days of satellite status and spheres of influence are behind us, Bush said at the White House before heading on his summer break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> A contentious relationship with Russia is not in America s interest, and a contentious relationship with America is not in Russia s interest, said Bush, ignoring his decision to move forward with missile defense in Poland and the Czech Republic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Putin warned Bush on several occasions that his missile defense plan would harm U.S.-Russian relations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Whether admitted to or not, Russia felt it had to make a statement in Georgia, firing a warning shot to the U.S. and NATO that it will act, like the U.S. claimed in Iraq, to defend its national security.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>More gunboat diplomacy makes a bad situation worse.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;<span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Saakashvili reminds the West that immature leaders sometimes make big mistakes and expect others to bail them out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>His decision to annex South Ossetia and Abkhazia by force demonstrated dangerous incompetence, resulting in thousands of deaths and even more innocent refugees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Trying to suck the West, especially the U.S., into a military confrontation with Russia demonstrates the kind of recklessness warranting his immediate removal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Whatever happens with Russian troops, Saakashvili s joint press conference with Rice proves he s unfit for office, spewing paranoia and rage over his own incompetence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>It doesn t mend fences and relax tensions to accuse Moscow of Soviet-style hegemony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Moscow showed far more restraint in Georgia than the U.S. showed in Iraq.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Before events get out of hand, Saakdashvili should step aside and let more mature leadership take over.<br> </p> <p><b><u>About the Author</u></b><br> </p> <p><b>John M. Curtis </b>writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He&#x2019;s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of <a href="books.html">Dodging The Bullet</a> and <a href="books.html">Operation Charisma</a>.<br> </p> <p></p> </td> <td width="1" height="2576" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="2"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2"></td> </tr> <tr height="2574"> <td width="133" height="2574" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><img height="172" width="111" src="images/johninframe3.jpg"></td> <td width="1" height="2574"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2574"></td> </tr> <tr height="1" cntrlrow> <td width="133" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="133" height="1"></td> <td width="7" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="7" height="1"></td> <td width="182" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="182" height="1"></td> <td width="300" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="300" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="597"> <tr> <td><font size="1" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"> <hr noshade size="1"> </font><a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong>Home</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> || <a href="articlesindex.html">Articles</a> || <a href="books.html">Books</a> || <a href="teflon.html">The Teflon Report</a> || <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com">Reactions</a> || <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">About Discobolos</a></strong></font> <div align="left"> <p><font size="1" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">This site designed, developed and hosted by the experts at</font><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"> <a href="http://www.cmeonline.net" target="_blank"><img height="30" width="138" src="images/cmelogoANIM.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></a></font></p> </div> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">&copy;1999-2005 <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.</a><br> (310) 204-8300<br> All Rights Reserved. </font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>