Georgia's South Ossetia Conflict - Political Commentary

[Rank amateur]

The Georgians have displayed a good deal of operational incompetence as it seems. There's only one road (actually partially a tunnel!) between Russia and SO - they should have taken that in an air assault and blocked it (if not blown up altogether).
The mountain passes are impassable in winter - the Georgian attack in summer.

Good analysis: even if the rest of your post was controversial.

Based on the CNN interview of Georgia's president (about an hour ago), the Times' end result may have some validity. He mentioned Czech 1968; I was thinking Hungary 1956 (when VOA & RFE made very sad listening).

Their crystal ball looks pretty accurate to me.

... is how the Georgians thought that a military escalation would work to their favour. I don't doubt their sense of grievance... just their common sense.

If more people had "common sense" in regards to how wars function, we wouldn't have so many of them.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in a telephone conversation today that Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili ``must go,'' meaning he should be ousted from office, Khalilzad said.

I wonder where they got the idea that they could invade a country just becasue they didn't like it's leader.

Some US advisers and contractors may really get to earn their pay soon (if not already); I'm sure they'll really looking forward to that.

IMHO, if they haven't trained and armed the Georgians to destroy armor without air superiority - ala Hezbollah - it's far too late to do anything.

Several people on this board predicted that recognizing Kososvo would give every "break away republic" the idea that they all have a right to be freed from whatever country they currently fall under.

I know Lincoln is supposed to be the greatest president etc., but I don't know why anyone would want want to force people to stay in your country when they don't want to. Both Czechs and Slovaks are far better off than Georgians, S. Ossetians, Serbs or Albanians.