A Question of Priorities
NYT reports on the Bush administration’s escalating rhetorical support for Georgia:
Russia’s military offensive into Georgia has forced the start of a wholesale reassessment of American dealings with Russia, according to senior Bush administration officials, and jeopardized talks on everything from halting Iran’s nuclear ambitions to reducing strategic arsenals to cooperation on missiles defenses.
The use of the term “forced” seems odd; perhaps Russia’s offensive caused a wholesale reassessment but surely it didn’t force it. The administration could have concluded that such matters as reductions in strategic nuclear arsenals, curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and cooperation on missile defense was more important than maintaining Tblisi’s sovereignty over Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Indeed, I would say those other issues clearly are more important than the Georgia conflict. But some evidently feel otherwise. Which is a debate worth having, but nobody’s being forced to change their mind about this issue.
26 Responses to “A Question of Priorities”
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August 15th, 2008 at 9:23 am
The more noise Bush and McCain make, the weaker the US looks, because it contrasts more and more strongly with our lack of action AND our lack of any ability for action against Russia.
These Republicans are so used to making policy decisions simply because of how they play back home in the trailer park that they are at sea when dealing with the rest of the world.
.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:34 am
I see a killer Obama ad campaign: “Are you a Georgian today?”
August 15th, 2008 at 9:34 am
I think the administration was forced to step up their escalation in rhetoric in words if not in deeds because of the rhetoric of John McCain and the neocons. It has now become a propaganda war that will probably have adverse effects on the national security interests of the United States by harming our relations with Russia beyond what the administration intended. When John McCain said “Country First,” what country did he mean? Georgia, the neocon paradise? This is going to be a disaster.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:05 am
It frustrates me to no end that Iran and Iraq are mortal threats because they MAY someday in this generation develop a crude nuclear weapons so we have to take them out yesterday, while the armchair strategists at the blogs and the Wall Street Journal editorial page bay for Russian blood over some dusty shithole town in a place no one has ever heard of before while blithely ignoring the fact that Russia remains the only country on Earth that can physically destroy the United States. Its bad enough we’ve inflated Iran and al-Qaeda into the status of an existential threat when they really aren’t. Russia really is a potential existential threat if we handle this badly and no one seems to care. And does anyone really doubt that the Cheney Administration is capable of handling this episode in any way but “badly”?
August 15th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Who said that Americans don’t understand irony!
Russia is not an existential threat to the United States except in the case of catastrophic miscalculation. It is, however, clearly tired of being expected to collaborate with US interests without any respect of its interests in return. The US cannot continue to take concessions without listening to Russian concerns. How Georgian or Ukrainian membership of NATO will improve security in Europe is beyond me.
August 15th, 2008 at 11:49 am
As for the ‘forced’ thing, it really is true. Republicans need an existential threat to win elections. The radical Muslims are too incompetent to deliver that kind of threat and voters have figured that out. But Russia really can deliver that kind of threat, so their actions really did force the Republicans to reevaluate the Republican message. They now have a plausible threat. The irony is that the Republicans are now defending borders that were drawn by Stalin. I would ever have predicted that twenty years ago, but it seems irony knows no bounds.
August 15th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Reminds me of my favorite moment in sports commentary from these Olympics (so far).
From Women’s Individual Badminton: “She forced her opponent into an unforced error”
August 15th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Mat just criticized McCain for dubbing the current crisis the first major one after the Cold War, about a week after calling Islamic terrorism a “transcendent threat”, which, to pedantic hobgoblin, implies that transcendent threat are a milder stuff than a major crisis. (There is nothing “major” abot Transcendental Meditation after all).
But, if we will play our cards right, we can make the two one and the same! Press Russia hard enough that it will cement a military alliance with Iran, and, to top it off, rent them a couple of ICBMs, with MIRV capability (10 1Mton warheads per ICBM), good stuff from military surplus. Or just sell the best of the anti-ship missiles and other weapon system that will make Persian Gulf, well, more Persian.
August 15th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Curbing WHAT Iranian nuclear ambitions, Matt?
They don’t have any.
Meanwhile, read this to get a clue on how the US policy towards Iran contributed to this mess:
Political Pipeline
How anti-Iran policy contributed to war in the Caucasus
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/sahimi.php?articleid=13301
August 15th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Lets see my choice is John McCain or that smart black man Barack Obama?
McCain who does not know how to use a computer but is willing to learn if we elect him – I’ll just vote for that smart black man.
My Choices are: John McCain who says the economic downturn is psychological? – Na! I’ll vote for the smart black man.
McCain who says you are better off under George Bush? – Nope I’ll vote for the smart black man.
Mc Cain who wants to continue killing more people looking for weapons of mass destruction that do not exist? – Gee! I’ll vote for the smart black man.
McCain who believes that we should stay the course but is not willing to support the people he puts in harms way. – I’ll take a chance on the smart black man.
Should I vote for a man that does not know that 9-11 was caused by Osama Bin Laden not Sedam Hussein? – Easy! I’ll vote for the smart black man.
Vote for the man who does not know if the Sunnis or Sheits are our enemies? – No way I’ll vote for the smart black man.
Vote for the man who helped put our government on the China, Saudi Arabia credit card? – Not a chance I’ll vote for the smart black man.
Vote for the man with the worst temper in the Senate to have his finger on the nuclear button? – No way – I’ll vote for the smart black man.
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March 14th, 2009 at 8:40 am
I must say, that I can not agree with you in 100%, but it’s just my IMHO, which indeed could be wrong.
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