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Tag Archives: NATO
Buying Tymoshenko
As the European Union commendably attempts to pull Ukraine closer into the safety of the West, Russia has reportedly earmarked $1 billion to fund suddenly pro-Kremlin Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, against heroically pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko in the 2010 presidential … Continue reading
Containing Russia – The Battle for Ukraine
Westhawk“Ukraine is the big prize and thus a dangerous flash point between Russia and the West. For the West, a firm alliance with Ukraine would anchor the containment of Russia. But for Russia, such an alliance would be a step … Continue reading
Posted in Around the Web, Foreign affairs, MikeR's Page
Tagged containment, foreign policy, NATO, Russia, Ukraine
3 Comments
A Test for French Will in Afghanistan
In the wake of a horrific magazine spread depicting Taliban fighters showing off war trophies looted from the bodies of French soldiers, President Sarkozy has been predictably and commendably resolute. France isn’t going to run away for a change. Unfortunately … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs
Tagged Afghanistan, Eric de Lavarene, France, French, magazine, NATO, Sarkozy, Taliban
1 Comment
NATO is Toothless
Westhawk “But the NATO ministers, at a rare emergency meeting, failed to agree on any specific punitive measures, despite pressure from the United States that NATO at least threaten Russia with unspecified “consequences,” and pleas from the Czech Republic, Poland … Continue reading
Not the Response Russia Had Hoped For
Instapundit “German Chancellor Angela Merkel is offering strong support for Georgia, saying the country is on track to become a member of NATO. Merkel flew to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Sunday, two days after she met with Russian … Continue reading
NATO Protection only for Perfection?
Alex Harrowell reminds us that NATO wasn’t always so timorous about conflict risk exposure: [I]f we assume that Georgia, and specifically Mikhail Saakashvili’s version of it, wasn’t sufficiently responsible (adult, civilised, possibly even white?) to play, how do we explain … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Tagged 1945, 1955, Aegean Sea, Alex Harrowell, conflict, cowboys, EU, Fistful of Euros, frozen conflict, frozen conflicts, Georgia, Germany, greece, indians, Mikhail Saakashvili, NATO, risk exposure, Russia, Turkey, war
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Georgian Wine Solidarity and Other Things
Estonians and Latvians are apparently buying up all available Georgian wine in a demonstration of national solidarity with the beleaguered republic. Particularly popular is the consumer label Old Tbilisi (order here). Sandra Saakashvili, First Lady of Georgia, is weathering the … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Tagged consumer, Estonia, Foreign Notes, Georgia, Georgian wine, humanitarian, Kateryna Yushchenko, Latvia, NATO, Old Tbilisi, Russia, Saakashvili, Sandra Saakashvili, snipers, Ukraine, wine
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Estonia: Get Georgia and Ukraine in NATO Now
Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves says the West must act fast: “They should take Ukraine immediately into NATO, and what is left of Georgia,” he told Reuters by telephone, adding that a decision this year not to give the two … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Tagged Black Sea, Estonia, fleet, Georgia, NATO, Sevastopol, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Ukraine, Victor Yushchenko, war, West
3 Comments
When There’s Nothing Left to Burn You Have to Set Yourself on Fire
Sorry for my absenteeism on this, guys, but I’ve barely had the time to write on Registan.net about the war in Georgia (seriously, go there for some really in-depth discussions about what is going on), and have simply neglected copying … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs
Tagged absenteeism, blowback, Brussels, BTC pipeline, Caspian Sea, caucasus, conflict, Europe, Fidel Castro, frozen conflicts, Georgia, Medvedev, Moscow, NATO, policy, Putin, Registan, Russia, Saakashvili, separatism, South Ossetia, strategy, Tblisi, territorialism, Tskhinvali, war, western
9 Comments
QandO Podcast
McQ, Dale and I discuss the Russian campaign against Georgia over South Ossetia. Generally I feel that our support should belong to Georgia. However, Georgia has severely miscalculated in this matter, and frankly our options are limited. At best, we … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Lance's Page
Tagged Abkhazia, airspace, campaign, Dale, discuss, Georgia, Lee, McQ, NATO, negotiated settlement, peacekeeeping, peacekeepers, Putin, Russia, South Ossetia, sovreignty, US, war
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Glimpse of a Better Outcome for Georgia
When it seemed like escalation was the modal reality, outcomes looked bleak for Georgia. Dynamics change. Thus Georgia’s ceasefire in South Ossetia cannot be a bad thing under the circumstances. By putting up an initial fight, they drew the attention … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Tagged 1812, BBC, Georgia, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Media, NATO, opinion, peacekeepers, Russia, South Ossetia, Tbilisi, war, war crimes
4 Comments
The Trouble with American Alliances
Always demanding when they need you, useless and even obstructionist when you actually need them. Our friend Geoff Morrell can serve as something of a personification of that characteristic in fact: Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said the Georgians had requested … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs
Tagged Chinese, Geoff Morrell, Georgia, Kevlar, military, NATO, Russia, South Ossetia, veterans
2 Comments
Achieving International Opposition
James Traub has written a magnificent survey of the events leading up to the current war in Georgia, and the personal contest between Mikheil Saakashvili and Putin.
Posted in Foreign affairs
Tagged Angela Merkel, EU, European Union, Georgia, Germany, James Traub, McCain, NATO, New York Times, Obama, Putin, Robert Kagan, Russia, Saakashvili, Ukraine, United Nations
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Russian Strategic Objectives Changing?
Wu Wei believes Russia is now targeting the Nabucco gas pipeline in Georgia…while the Russian NATO envoy argues that strategic objectives are restricted to a South Ossetia protection and warns NATO to stay out. And now Iran gets into the … Continue reading
Posted in Around the Web
Tagged Georgia, Iran, Nabucco, NATO, pipeline, Russia, South Ossetia, war, Wu Wei
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Of “Battle Fatigue” and National Caveats
Posted first to Registan.net, your one-stop shop for all things Central Asia, this is a tangent to a really excellent theme I’ve been tracking the past few weeks—the flow of press releases masquerading as journalism from Afghanistan to our largest … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Military Matters, Notes on the war
Tagged Afghanistan, Germans, military, NATO, policy
2 Comments
Russian Nuclear Threat Against Ukraine
Russia’s fears of NATO expansion reaching right to her western border with Ukraine, have provoked a new round of saber rattling from the Kremlin. Here’s Putin’s ominous quote, after he had just met with Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko: “It’s frightening … Continue reading
Posted in Around the Web
Tagged Kremlin, NATO, nuclear, Putin, Russia, Ukraine, Yushchenko
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