Prime Minister Putin - the real organ grinder in Russia - may be ruing the day he decided to show off the migh
t of the Russian Armed Forces. The disproportionate response from Moscow in Georgia has revealed their hand to the world. No-one is in any doubt as to Russia's intentions for its other neighbours. Empire Builder Putin has a Soviet mentality when it comes to foreign policy, but still wants to Russia to sit on the top table at G8 summits. He thinks he can do what he likes and still enjoy massive foreign investment.
Poland is quite rightly worried about his intentions and have signed a
deal with the US to base 10 missile interceptors as part of the US defence shield. My prediction is Poland has merely starting the ball rolling. There are many other countries who feel at risk from their former occupier and they will not be taking any chances. Thankfully - although many of my commentators will disagree - there has been a strong response for Western leaders against Russia. Now is the time to expel them from the G8. They should never have been granted membership in the first place. Now is also the time to strengthen NATO. Although hitting Russia in the place where it hurts most by stopping foreign investment will be the most effective strategy, isolating Russia militarily will have the effect of showing Putin those of us in the free world - especially those countries who have recently become democracies - will not tolerate any Russian aggression. The fledgling democracies of Eastern Europe are looking to us to support them in any way we can. It is in all our interests that Russia is contained, otherwise we risk a bloodbath as Putin tries to return us back to Soviet days.
Before anyone accuses me of missing the p
oint and overreacting, I would like to remind them appeasement and isolationism has got us nowhere in the past and it will get us nowhere now. Firm action is needed and nothing less will do.
3 comments:
It's a difficult one. Antagonising Russia is really not a good idea given their dubious loyalties in the Middle East plus their natural resource supplies, but bending over backwards to appease Russia is going to end in tears.
Letters from a Tory: I agree with you, it is a difficult one. Russia will still need to sell their gas. They need the money. I would rather go without though, than appease them. They are expecting the softly, softly approach. We have to respond with something they are not expecting. By expelling them from the G8, but not banning financial investment in Russia, will give them a shock and show them we mean business.
Let me confess that I have little knowledge of the particular Ossetia situation, from the off.
I agree that a strong response is indicated. Though...from Russia's perspective, they've been very very patient with the West in its warfaring on Russian neighbours and allies.
Off on another tack (possibly related): who knows what covert ops the West has been involved in in Georgia?
People or armies or states don't usually suddenly get aggressive for no reason - it's usually provoked by something we don't fully understand.
OK, this is simplistic. But equal and opposite reactions are basic principles of all physical activity.
The West's strong response could well be not appeasement or sabre-rattling, but more constructively a good, hard look at its own policy and strategy in the middle-east and apropos Iraq's neighbours - and then a firm agreement to work together not against each other. That's braver than any sabre-rattling!
I've worked with Russians (in a political sphere), my sense of them as a people is that they're certainly not as trigger-happy as Western nations.
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