Monday, July 20, 2009

The Obama Factor: The Lost Cause for the Country of Georgia

Biden heads to Ukraine, Georgia to show US support

And what kind of support would that be?

Since taking office in January, Obama has tried to restart US-Russian relations, but during a visit to Moscow last week he "reiterated my firm belief that Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected."

Georgia responded positively to Obama's statements, with Saakashvili saying in remarks after the US president's trip to Russia: "There was no trade-off; Georgia has not been sold."

However, in an apparent snub to Obama, Medvedev is scheduled to make his first visit to South Ossetia on Monday.


Once this takes place, Georgia will fall to pro-Kremlin forces within Georgia's government and outside.

TBILISI, Georgia -- Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is expected to unveil Monday moves to share more power and make elections more democratic in an attempt to mollify his critics and begin a comeback.


Unfortunately, Saakashvili's options are few given Obama is a very weak leader.

This issue with Georgia is about gas pipelines and control of them.

There was much celebration about the Nabucco pipeline, but for the pipeline to become a reality, it will need Iran's natural gas and Russia's cooperation.

Otherwise that pipeline will fail.

Russia wins again...

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I find it odd that most conservatives who are not Obama fans are quick to slander foreigners are "Kremlin friendly" in order to advance Republican talking points.

Please read:
http://exiledonline.com/my-autocrats-worse-than-your-autocrat-corruption-galore-in-the-washington-post/

Here's the deal, friend: Misha is a pig, a punk, and an anti-democrat. He has plenty of rivals in Georgia who are fiercely pro-West, pro-Nato, and anti-Kremlin, but every time they challenge him, he conveniently paints them as Putin loyalists. This is untrue, and it is unfortunate that Obama-bashers in America are willing to sell out their own country and people who should be allies abroad, simply to score cheap political points.

Can you imagine if during the 1970s, and 1980s conservatives had pointed at Pope John Paul 2 as insufficiently anti-communist because American Catholics sway Democratic? Ronald Reagan would have been laughed out of the room if he asserted this, but luckily, Republicans in the 1980s had more honor than to engage in uninformed and petty name calling to win domestic points.


You, sir, are an ignorant horse's ass.

Unknown said...

You might want to trying selling your points of view to Gazprom.

Because when you make accusations that "Misha is a pig, a punk and an anti-democrat" and then write about Obama, tells me that you are a hack that does not live in Georgia but is an ex-pat in some country like Romania stirrng the pot?

Name the anti-Kremlin candidates who want Georgia under NATO.

Anonymous said...

Most of them, dummy: 80% of Georgians voted for the pro-NATO position in the last election. Leaders like Zourabichvili, Gamkrelidze.

I'm not in Romania, dickbag. I'm in Anchorage, too. I also work in construction. Funny that.

Unknown said...

Tell me something, you Russian expats in Bucharest and Haife really think this playing chess in Georgia is going to be an advantage to Gazprom?

Zourabichvili, Gamkrelidze? You are joking right?

What will Russia do when Iran feels it's bigger than Russia and starts calling the shots?

You expats will be wishing for that missile defense system.

Anonymous said...

Hey, I apologize for the dickbag comment. Name calling is too easy on the Internet, especially when enjoying beer after work. So, sorry.

I'm also not a Russian expat--I'm quite pro-Georgia, inasmuch as I believe they should exist as a sovereign nation. Georgia has been a loyal ally of the United States, and local polling and cultural connections pull the Georgians west across the Black Sea more than north to Moscow.

This feeling can be stated without emotion, and without need to resort to internal US politics. Sure, pro-Russians are wary that Misha is sucking up to the US by speaking smooth English and asking Joe Biden for fancy guns, but pro-democracy and pro-western cynics inside and outside Georgia realise that Mr. Saakashivili has let more US weapons fall into Russian hands than his rivals ever would.

There is a way to show solidarity with pro-western Georgians (and hell, Ukrainians for that matter) without resorting to cheap shots within the American political prism. Vice President Biden is currently in the region giving stern speeches that publicly reproach Russia's bullying, while at the same time finger-wagging at the locals for taking US money and then acting like twits. He gave speeches that could have been delivered by Condi Rice or Dick Cheney or Colin Powell. The messenger delivered the same message.

It serves no purpose for conservatives who oppose Obama's domestic agenda to conflate that with long-agreed upon US foreign policy that advances America's interests. Georgians need to know that America supports their thirst for freedom, and also, we won't just blindly back Misha every time he has a temper tantrum.

Unknown said...

How is it at the Center for Democratic Studies in Haifa?

Your comments made on the Latvia thread are telling.

The first comment coming from the person from Bucharest is also telling.

Let me guess the commentor from Bucharest is Open Society guru wannabe from.