Joor wrote: "It would amaze me if this becomes a really 3rd World War."

the assesment is not very far fetched as russian officials already accusing georgian president of trying to ignite a WW3 and it is clear that russians are very serious as they continue to bombard military instalations all over georgia now (am reading new reports about bombings in Poti and Senake)

also have to remind you that US military personnel are allowed visa-free entry and exit from Georgia are permitted to carry weapons and are immune from prosecution in Georgian courts. The agreement between georgia and US also grants the US military to deploy hardware without impediments on Georgian territory. Earlier today russians bombed Bolnisi where US instructors are working consulting georgian air forces...

@justinian:
I fail to see how views you consider wrong (idealistic as you name them), necessarely have to produce another output as you want it to, and that is what really matters.

Союз нерушимый республик свободных
Сплотила навеки Великая Русь!
Да здравствует созданный волей народов
Единый, могучий Советский Союз!

Славься, Отечество наше свободное,
Дружбы народов надёжный оплот!
Партия Ленина

> BiefstukFriet wrote:

> I am a continental western European, and I can say that the EU is and always has been a economical entity first and foremost. All this newfangled political schemes are only ment for the creation of a more streamlined economy. The social aspects of the EU are the pasttime activities of bored Eurocrats.

Let's also not forget that those EU ideologies are very much tempered by the national politics of the member states.
____________________________________
(pope style apology warning):
Sorry if this offends you, but that's a pile of BS!!!
(about the greatest motive of the EU)

"I will fight for your right to be wrong!" << S.G. Tallentyre
"I am a flexible centrist: not stuck on right-wing, not stuck on left-wing, and not stuck on centre...and I don't flip-flop either" <<< me
Fighting for peace is like stopping the raping of a virgin.

The question is how is NATO going to react to this?  The Russians have started bombing targets inside Georgia itself (not South Ossetia).  I'm watching BBC News 24 which is now covering the story.  As Phoenix adequately put it, the area contested by Georgian and Russian forces is the main gateway for energy flow out of the Caspian and into Europe.  I'd be surprised if the U.S. didnt start seeking sanctions against Russia at the very least.

Why is there a peacekeeping force on Georgian soil?

Go Georgia!

And I remember feeling very stupid when 5000 Russian soldiers surrendered to Chechens about 13 years ago, dunno if the Red Army is much better now

"They will never win a full scale war."
They dont need too. They just want the small outer pieces .

Georgians were dumb enough to bomb Tskhinvali. Now Russians have a free pass to do whatever they want. Or at least, thats what their mindset would be anyway -- reguardless of anything else.

WW3 wont happen, but in one of those articles it states that "Moscow may be expected to punish Israel for its intervention". This is a scary though, which could spark a regional war which might even start something like a world war.

Or Russians will occupy some parts, and sign a peace deal with Georgia. Once the Russians have their oil-related queries all sorted out they wont care for Georgia. Georgia will join NATO, and Bobs your Uncle, no one will care anymore.

But Georgia removing troops from Iraq is a bit of a worry, though :S.

"(pope style apology warning):
Sorry if this offends you, but that's a pile of BS!!!
(about the greatest motive of the EU)"

You have a confusing writing style. Please be more clear and elaborate.

NATO would be forced to act.

But they arent apart of NATO...

You can see zero difference between Georgia and Russia?

> sKoE )= wrote:

> You can see zero difference between Georgia and Russia?

Georgia and Russia use the same tanks and helo's and other hardware. Not to mention the seperatists who look like both sides.