U.S. hidden hand pushes Ossetia war

[DogPoundPup]

By Sara Flounders
Published Aug 13, 2008 11:25 PM

Long before Aug. 8, when the leaders of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus Mountains south of Russia, attacked a small autonomous region known as South Ossetia, the U.S. military was deeply involved in Georgia. Washington is no innocent bystander in this bloody struggle, which provoked a response by Russia that now dominates the news.

<snip>
U.S. armed, trained Georgia’s army

Washington does not claim credit for the invasion of South Ossetia ordered by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, especially now that his forces have been routed. The roads back to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi are littered with tanks and other military vehicles abandoned by Georgian soldiers in their mad scramble to return home. (BBC News, Aug. 12)

But at the time of the invasion, the White House made clear its political support for Saakashvili and Georgia has been closely allied with the U.S. military in its war in Iraq.

The U.S. and NATO have heavily armed and trained the Georgian military. There are U.S. military “advisers” in Georgia today. A thousand U.S. Marines from the Third Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment just finished three weeks of joint maneuvers there called “Operation Immediate Response.”

In the period leading up to Georgia’s attack on South Ossetia, the Pentagon had supplied Georgia with hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles, artillery weapons, rocket launchers and dozens of combat helicopters and anti-aircraft missile systems. Hundreds of other weapons systems have poured in from other NATO members and from Israel. (Interfax, Aug. 7)

In exchange Georgia had provided the third-largest military force in the U.S. occupation of Iraq. But on Aug. 10 the U.S. began ferrying the 2,000 Georgian troops out of Iraq to the war zone in Georgia.

Along with the “advisers” and U.S. troops sent for maneuvers, U.S.-origin mercenaries and privatized military trainers function in Georgia. Tens of thousands of “civil society” operatives, international consultants, policy experts and technical assistants operate in Georgia, Ukraine and other former Soviet Republics.

To read the entire article http://www.workers.org/2008/world/south_ossetia_0821/

[sourmilk]

1. I believe they misnamed “Operation Immediate Response.”

Unless, of course, the immediate response they speak of was to "Run and Hide."

Certainly "Operation Run and Hide" sounds a little less intimidating...

[Turbineguy]

2. You can bet Georgia attacked

on the advice of the Bush Administration. Otherwise they would have been all over saying "we told him not to do it".

[OregonBlue]

3. McLame claims to be such a friend to Georgia. Wonder how involved he was.

After all, he was informed of the Columbia raid to free the hostages and just happened to be there when it happened. Now we discover that he was talking with the Georgia President just prior to the invasion. Can't help but think he encouraged this blunder thinking he would get to crow about how it was all his idea when they won. Only problem for him is they lost.

[Bob Dobbs]

4. Georgia is a set up, to try to demonize Russia before we attack Iran.

Just a really poor head fake, with thousands of collateral damage murders.

[Turbineguy]

5. Au contraire

We are not going to attack Iran. We are going to negotiate with them for oil routes. That's why the price of oil started dropping after the big conference in Crimea and Rice's visit to Georgia.

The Georgian situation was probably just another Bush screw-up but the fix was already in anyway, it was just a matter of time. Russia was well and ready to attack.

If there's one country that has done well under the Bush Administration it's Iran. The US beat the crap out of their arch enemy Iraq, Bush caused the price of oil to go up to finance their nuclear ambitions (even if it is only for electricity) and soon they will be our reluctant friends in oil the same way the Saudi's are. They have seen what can happen, look at Dubai. Would you rather be Dubai or a vast expanse of glass? Being friends with the US will mean they can travel anywhere and spread the Islamic revolution with ease.

[Bob Dobbs]

6. And that's why we are setting up a blockade of the Straits of Hormuz?

Just asking.

[Turbineguy]

7. Negotiate from strength.

It must not look like we caved.

It's the Bush administration. Appearance is everything.