Russians Push Past Separatist Area to Assault Central Georgia; Russian Troops on Georgian Soil

[tekisui]

TBILISI, Georgia — Russia expanded its attacks on Georgia on Sunday, moving tanks and troops through the separatist enclave of South Ossetia and advancing toward the city of Gori in central Georgia, in its first direct assault on a Georgian city with ground forces during three days of heavy fighting, Georgian officials said.

The maneuver — along with bombing of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi — seemed to suggest that Russia's aims in the conflict had gone beyond securing the pro-Russian enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia to weakening the armed forces of Georgia, a former Soviet republic and an ally of the United States whose Western leanings have long irritated the Kremlin.

Russia's moves, which came after Georgia offered a cease-fire and said it had pulled its troops out of South Ossetia, caused widespread international alarm and anger and set the stage for an intense diplomatic confrontation with the United States.

Two senior Western officials said that it was unclear whether Russia intended a full invasion of Georgia, but that its aims could go as far as destroying its armed forces or overthrowing Georgia's pro-Western president, Mikheil Saakashvili.

"They seem to have gone beyond the logical stopping point," one senior Western diplomat said, speaking anonymously under normal diplomatic protocol.

The escalation of fighting raised tensions between Russia and its former cold war foes to their highest level in decades. President Bush has promoted Georgia as a bastion of democracy, helped strengthen its military and urged that NATO admit the country to membership. Georgia serves as a major conduit for oil flowing from Russia and Central Asia to the West.

link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=post&forum=389

[dipsydoodle]

1. a bastion of democracy ?

What a load of old bollocks.

Read though this : http://www.osce.org/documents/odihr/2008/04/30927_en.pdf

[MrMonk]

2. Perhaps you should explain

I don't see anything in the report that suggests that Georgia is not a democracy.

[knitter4democracy]

3. Look at how long Saakashvili's been in power.

They have elections, and he keeps winning them. Interesting.

Saakashvili isn't to be trusted, but it's looking like the Russians are going further than he'd betted. This is bad.

[dipsydoodle]

4. It's says there were issues

not that it isn't a democracy : of sorts. It's the sort of democracy of which GWB approves as in your 2004 elections. Like I said - read it to find the issues. Look for mention of intimidation of the opposition etc. Search for similar links and you'll find ref to vote rigging and media bias - sound familiar ?