Tuesday, August 12, 2008

RUSSIA DID THE RIGHT THING On Monday, in his bulletproof vest, Mr Saakashvili staged a small charade for the use of the Western press, by announcing during a visit of Gori that it was time to get out of there, he looked up searching for Russian planes that weren't there, there was no shooting, but he was ushered away as if he was under attack, his car speeded away. Nice show. Like all the rest of his actions the past days. Declaring a cease-fire, then a few minutes later firing back. Mr Saakashvili is appearing in his own Big Brother show. Focus: "And something more - all the Georgia's officials ranging from Saakashvili to the last clerks double their statements in English." The Georgian opposition is sure to get back at him after this gruesome debacle. Prospect: "The protests began this November. November 7th began much like the five days that preceded it, when tens of thousands of demonstrators massed in front of parliament in Tbilisi. Though the ostensible catalyst for the protest was the arrest of a former defence minister-turned-opposition leader, the deeper explanation was that people felt Saakashvili held them in contempt." A huge propaganda war is on, but the West is very reluctant to give an insight in what is really happening. Saakashvili was installed by the West. His popularity among his own Georgian population is nil. During his reign he has only favoured members of his own family and their company interests. Eurasianet: "The Saakashvili family has covertly privatized Georgian Railways, a huge company, handing its management to the British company Parkfield Investment for 89 years." It is possible Saakashvili was also involved in the killing of an opponent of his regime in England. Of course, the British police later claimed he died of natural causes. It figures, Britain supports the regime of Saakashvili. And it looks like the Bush administration is opening Pandora's box on several fronts now. Georgia and Pakistan are his latest assets. Is Bush creating a diversion to have a free hand in attacking Iran and keep Russia busy in Georgia? And China is engaged with the Olympics. How cynical does the West become? AfterDowningStreet: "Operation Brimstone ended only one week ago. This was the joint US/UK/French naval war games in the Atlantic Ocean preparing for a naval blockade of Iran and the likely resulting war in the Persian Gulf area. The massive war games included a US Navy supercarrier battle group, an US Navy expeditionary carrier battle group, a Royal Navy carrier battle group, a French nuclear hunter-killer submarine plus a large number of US Navy cruisers, destroyers and frigates playing the 'enemy force'. The lead American ship in these war games, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN71) and its Carrier Strike Group Two (CCSG-2) are now headed towards Iran along with the USS Ronald Reagon (CVN76) and its Carrier Strike Group Seven (CCSG-7) coming from Japan. They are joining two existing USN battle groups in the Gulf area: the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN72) with its Carrier Strike Group Nine (CCSG-9); and the USS Peleliu (LHA-5) with its expeditionary strike group. Likely also under way towards the Persian Gulf is the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) and its expeditionary strike group, the UK Royal Navy HMS Ark Royal (R07) carrier battle group, assorted French naval assets including the nuclear hunter-killer submarine Amethyste and French Naval Rafale fighter jets on-board the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The build up of naval forces in the Gulf will be one of the largest multi-national naval armadas since the First and Second Gulf Wars. The intent is to create a US/EU naval blockade (which is an Act of War under international law) around Iran (with supporting air and land elements) to prevent the shipment of benzene and certain other refined oil products headed to Iranian ports." Has Iran attacked American citizens in let's say Kuwait? Not at all. Still the US seems to claim the right to attack wherever and for whatever reason. Nevertheless, the US is accusing Russia of coming to the rescue of Russian citizens in South Ossetia. The hypocrisy cries to heaven. The point is that the US including Britain are imperialist powers that want complete control of the world, and they are willing to sacrifice millions of lives for the gains of their private multinational companies. And they are not only using their regular military, they are also engaging their privatized 'security firms' (read 'mercenary armies') which function without any democratic control and are led by the CIA and MI6, all covertly. The image they present towards the nation is one of concern for the human conditions, freedom and democracy, while at the same time they are undermining these on an unprecedented scale. Getting the people to accept their murderous intentions is of the utmost importance to the new imperialists, and that includes Gordon Brown. Is Georgia using Ukrainian and American mercenaries? American troops found amongst Georgian dead. More. RT: "The United States is sending fresh supplies of weapons to Georgia from its base in the Jordanian port of Aqabah. That's according to the Israeli newspaper - Maariv." Kommersant: "The U.S. embassy in Kyrgyzstan has found itself embroiled in scandal after the country's interior ministry announced that a hoard of U.S.-made weapons has been found in a house in Bishkek rented by U.S. citizens. The embassy hurriedly stated that the weapons were intended for antiterrorism exercises, but Kyrgyz enforcement agencies have not confirmed that. The news is the talk of Kyrgyzstan. The prosecutor general has begun an investigation." eTN: "Saakashvili appears to have both underestimated the scale of the Russian backlash, and overestimated the extent of support he could count on from the U.S. and its allies. The Georgian leader may have expected Washington to step up to his defense, particularly given his country's centrality to the geopolitics of energy - Georgia is the only alternative to Russia as the route for a pipeline carrying oil westward from Azerbaijan. Although its outcome is yet to be decided, there's no win-win outcome to the offensive launched by Georgia with the goal of recovering South Ossetia. Either Saakashvili wins, or Moscow does. Unless the U.S. and its allies demonstrate a very unlikely appetite for confrontation with an angry and resurgent Russia in its own backyard, the smart money would be on Moscow." Guardian: "The flare-up of major hostilities between Russia and Georgia has been dubbed by some 'the pipeline war'. The landlocked Caspian sea's huge oil reserves are a factor, especially since Georgia became a key transit country for oil to travel from Baku in Azerbaijan to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean. The pipeline, which was completed in May 2006, is the second longest in the world. Although its route was chosen in order to bypass Russia, denying Moscow leverage over a key resource and a potential source of pressure, the current crisis in the Caucasus is about issues far bigger than oil. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline is only a minor element in a much larger strategic equation: an attempt, sponsored largely by the United States but eagerly subscribed to by several of its new ex-Soviet allies, to reduce every aspect of Russian influence throughout the region, whether it be economic, political, diplomatic or military. The question now is whether Saakashvili has over-reached himself. Has his escalation of the South Ossetian crisis done more than destroy any chance of normalising Georgian relations with Russia as long as he remains president? Has it reinforced his image among many western leaders as a hothead, and set back his hopes of getting a promise from Nato this autumn to start membership proceedings? France and Germany led Nato's cautious camp in April when they forced President Bush to delay a membership action plan for Georgia for months. Their argument that Georgia is not yet ready may well be strengthened now. When the fighting ends and the dust settles, Saakashvili may also face an onslaught from his political opposition in Georgia. In the heat of battle, parliamentary leaders have rallied round the national flag, but if a ceasefire comes with all Georgian troops and civilians driven out of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Saaksahvili may be called to account for losing not just territory but the chance of early membership of Nato as well." In the present circumstances Russia can and will provide stability in the region. Unless the West has gone complete mad - we know George W. Bush is stark raving mad - the US and Europe would better gamble on a Russian victory. Russia could easily make an end to the Georgian pipeline for years to come. The West should stop antagonizing Russia and do what they preach, i.e. peaceful cooperation. TheAge: "The truth is, it's not Russia that is the aggressor. In the first hours of fighting, 10 Russian peacekeepers were killed. These are men who were performing their duty, supported by the United Nations. The Georgian military viewed them as valid targets, shelling their barracks." Yes, this is a cynical propaganda war in which Georgia and its foreign supporters have taken advantage of the Olympic games to start a coup and declare Georgia the victim. If you want more information, look here. Kuro5hin: "Don't be fooled by the Western - especially French and German - media consensus (for example, this article on the ever dumb Times screaming OMG Russian invasion!): this time the Guardian's view that this was a Georgian aggressive gamble is absolutely correct. According to almost all independent reporters, the operations were kickstarted by the Georgians launching a massive co-ordinated attack that started with artillery shelling and aerial bombing of the independentist militias positions around Tskhinvali at 1:50 of Friday morning, a few hours after cease-fire talks had broken down (see this excellent timeline of the events - in French). Before that there had been only a few weeks of minor border skirmishes. You don't start such an operation without weeks of planning, do you?" What this is all about is an emperialist attempt of the West, the US and Britain foremost, to gain power over Russia. The hypocrisy of our Western governments and obedient media is a crying injustice. We could call it fascism, but it certainly is evil. It is in fact the denial of any country to look after its own affairs, to be concerned about its own safety. The West has been exporting revolutions to all countries around Russia, China and India; they have demanded and enforced regime change, and armed their new allies. It's imperialism under the cloak of freedom. But it has become a gruesome farce. Russia did the right thing. And it seems to me that Russia is making a stance and telling the world 'Not a step further!'. They are the freedom fighters now. The West has shown itself to be a devious warmonger, cynically starting wars wherever possible. The war and oil industries are profiteeering, the citizen is suffering under it. But, now we know the Taliban was mainly created by the US, also this situation could very well backfire, and hasten the demise of Western neocon imperialism. The population of Russia stands behind their leaders. The West only shows a pathetic corruption of its values. Russia has just shown admirable restraint by stopping its military action, and not destroying the Georgian pipeline so far. Being friends with Russia is the best guarantee for stability in Europe. The aggression of the US and Britain towards the rest of the world by enforcing its own power is a sign of blatant racism, of an unwillingness to grant other nations the right to their own sovereignty and resources. And there are always willing stooges like Saakashvili to comply with the demands of the greedy neocon West. George W. Bush is a loose canon, who has wreaked havoc all over the world and created disaster, and the coming president of the United States would do well to refrain from supporting revolutions and starting wars. 12:24:31 PM

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