<DrumBeat: August 9, 2008 The Oil Drum DrumBeat: August 10, 2008>

219 comments on Georgia Conflict - Open Thread

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JonFreise on August 9, 2008 - 10:52am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

The US would never be able to hold Iraq if the resistance there was given modern man portable anti aircraft and anti tank weapons. Or Afghanistan. We can't press Russia. We broke our own leg, and now want to pick fights. Sigh.

Less angry shaking fists, more brains.

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Paleocon on August 9, 2008 - 12:17pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

The games played with tanks and troops are the obvious ones. It's the "brainy" ones played with money, influence, favoritism, oppression, trade deals, and so forth that are less visible but more significant long term, and which set the stage for the "bloody" ones.

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geek7 on August 9, 2008 - 1:49pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

"played with money, influence, favoritism, oppression,trade deals, and so forth "

None of these suggestions seem realistic to me. Who believes our money will be worth anything? Maybe we will gain some influence AFTER we leave Iraq, but how long after? That will be a long time after this crisis in Georgia is resolved.

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neal on August 9, 2008 - 1:20pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

The danger for Russia in going down the path of supplying anti tank and anti aircraft weapons to insurgents in Iraq or Afghanistan is that many of those weapons would go back to Russia with Chechyn volunteers.
And if America was bloodied by Russian supplied weapons then they may also up the ante by supplying arms to the Chechyns and others. The Russians could only cut off Europes gas as payback and the yanks wouldn't care (payback for lack of support by Europe).
Hopefully common sense prevails on all sides.

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Dinh Ton on August 9, 2008 - 1:37pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Hopefully common sense prevails on all sides.

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Yeah -- if they have a bit more common sense then we probably won't be down the path we are right now. Asking for common sense from these folks is like asking them to lay an egg. It won't happen. There is so much pressure to hold up their ego that once a path is taken, it will take a tremendous effort to reverse it. I don't see Russia backing down -- Georgia will have to declare some sort of concession.

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neal on August 9, 2008 - 2:10pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

For Georgia to declare some sort of concession would be a sign of defeat and a bruised ego for the Georgian rulers (local and American).
I guess I don't have much hope that the situation will be comprehensivly settled. Any short term concessions are likely to fester as a wound under a bandage would, eventually it gets ripped off in pain with alot of blood shed.

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219 comments on Georgia Conflict - Open Thread

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