While the EU and NATO Fiddle....
Saturday, August 09, 2008
The crisis in Georgia is growing and the west seems collectively paralyzed.
Just today the United Nations met for the third time in as many days and have not surprisingly accomplished nothing.
The London Times today reminds us of the last time that Russia invaded Georgia in 1921. The president of Georgia appealed to the newly formed League of Nations. The League of Nations responded:
"it is realized that the League is incapable of rendering material aid and the moral influence which may be a powerful force with civilized countries is unlikely to make an impression upon Soviet Russia."
The Germans and French who blocked Georgia's attempts to join NATO in April will now be forced to find a diplomatic solution; and historically a European "compromise" will be little more than appeasement.
The question "Are we willing to start a war over a small piece of land with few people who don't want to be there anyway?" has already started.
In that case it might be worth while for the GEORGIAN government to consider whether they should exclude altogether the project, which has found favour in some quarters, of making GEORGIA a more homogeneous State by the secession of that fringe of alien populations who are contiguous with the nation with which they are united by race. In any case the wishes of the population concerned would seem to be a decisively important element in any solution that can hope to be regarded as permanent, and the advantages of becoming a homogeneous State might conceivably outweigh the obvious disadvantages of losing the SOUTH OSSETIA districts of the borderland.
[Source - The Times (London)]
Now go read that quote again. This time change GEORGIA to CZECHOSLOVAKIA and SOUTH OSSETIA to SEDETEN GERMAN.
Oh, and change the source as well: [Source: The Times (London), 7 September 1938]
I am not advocating launching an American offensive but it is of critical importance what Western Europe does. Doing nothing might mean a brokered peace on the horizon but it would ultimately meanthe death of Georgia and it would abdicate almost all energy decisions that impact the EU to the Kremlin.
If a re-constituted Soviet Union under control of an old school KGB leader is okay with you, then no worries.
If it does worry you, dust off the old REFORGER maps; we may need them again.