In Which I Send Back My Plate of Crow

Things were looking a bit troubled yesterday evening among the 'cooler heads' I've been mentioning lately apropos of the Russo-Georgian War. I had announced late the night before that Medvedev and Putin had 24 hours to halt hostilities before major, and possibly irreparable, harm would be done to Russian-Western relations. I insisted that only a fool would let that happen, and speculated wildly that Putin and Medvedev were not fools. 

And the invasion of Georgia proper went on.

So I awoke this morning half-expecting to be discredited forever as a commentator on all things Caucuasian...but no, as it happens Medvedev has announced an end to Russian attacks. Content, it seems, with cutting off the Georgian army at the knees, in addition to the obvious settlement of the Ossetia/Abkhaz situation, M and P must now make their way out of Georgia proper, no ifs ands or buts about it. If they do, aside from the brutal casualties and deaths and destruction, everyone will come out better for this ugly exchange. Apparently it is not even a condition of peace that Saakashvili step down. Which may indeed mean that a chastened, neutralized Georgia in NATO is more appealing to Russia than a reckless and irresponsible Georgia outside it. And who isn't that true for?

Comments

[Demophilus]

What about a chastened Georgia outside NATO? Since, umm, we're all secretly glad they weren't in the organization now...

[ct]

Georgia is the most heavily armed country in the Caucus or Stans. The US paid them billions for their weapons. The President slaughtered ten villages in an hour. Obama wants to give him aid money now. The money will go to the Georgian military and none to the living Ossetian Georgians or dead Ossetian Russians.

[John]

In re: "a chastened, neutralized Georgia in NATO is more appealing to Russia than a reckless and irresponsible Georgia outside it . . ." - agreed. But a Putin who is now more formally exposed as the de facto leader of Russia and who is also edified with the knowledge of his newly expanded boundaries (figuratively, if not literally) and who has demonstrated the potential fate of other "maverick" former Soviet states - now that's bad for everyone but him.

[Alexander Sedov]

Hello from Russia!

I have written the text about the war in South Ossetia. Maybe, you will interested it, welcome:

http://alek-morse.livejournal.com/15626.html

[Robert C. Cheeks]

Did everyone learn from this where the bear shites in the woods?

[ScurvyOaks]

Based on the latest in Gori, that plate of crow might be headed back toward your table.

I sure hope the Russians pull back pronto.