Mikheil Saakashvili – Trapped to take on Russia
Although Georgia became independent upon the collapse of the Soviet Union and South Ossetia and Akbhazia are inside Georgian borders, they were never under Georgian control. Their populations are mainly non-Georgian and they mostly hold Russian passports. The results of referenda of South Ossetians and Abkhaz clearly rejected any integration with Georgia, and they welcomed Russian peacekeepers on their soil to protect them.
To provoke and anger the Russians, Harvard educated President Mikheil Saakashvili has been pulling his weight and boasting about his marriage with Western corrupt, exploitative, repressive and blood-thirsty democracies. He applied to join NATO, a western military, aggressive and imperialist organisation, when Georgia is on the doorstep of Russia.
Oil
Geopolitical experts conclude that, in the immediacy « the conflict has been sparked by the race for control over the pipelines carrying oil and gas out of the Caspian region. » [ref. DEBKAfile]. Western oil companies, including Israeli firms were planning « to route the oil routes from Azerbaijan and the gas lines from Turkmenistan, which transit Georgia, through Turkey instead of hooking them up to Russian pipelines. » Israel wants to bypass the Russian pipelines and arrange for them « to reach Turkey and thence to Israel’s oil terminal at Ashkelon and on to its Red Sea port of Eilat. »
The USA and Israel have been arming Mikheil Saakashvili’s regime and providing his troops with training. According to the Israeli paper Haaretz, Israel’s military aid to Georgia runs in hundreds of millions in US$, and went on to say that « Israel has .. sold aerial drones, night-vision equipment, and rockets to Georgia, and many retired officers from the Israel's military and internal security services work as military advisors there. » There are over 1000 Israeli military advisers in Georgia. To show his gratitude, Mikheil Saakashvili even sent 2,000 US and Israeli trained Georgians to kill Iraqis in their own country.
Georgia’s attack
The US and Israel gave President Mikheil Saakashvili the greenlight to attack South Ossetia. Feeling strong with an inflated ego, Mikheil Saakashvili carried through his foolish ambition on 7th August 2008 knowing that Russian peacekeepers are stationed in Ossetia. Helped by Israeli military advisers, rockets, electronic warfare systems and intelligence, Georgia captured Tskhinvali, the capital of breakaway South Ossetia, on 8th august 2008. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin responded with even greater force, and even bombed targets within Georgia, including the capital Tbilisi. Russia also sent troops to Akbhazia and set up a blockade of Georgia via the Black Sea to prevent any weapons from reaching the country. Israel was quick to state that the weapons it sold to Georgia were purely « defensive ». At the same time, Georgia recalled her 2000 troops, regarded as terrorists, from Iraq, which troops were airlifted to Georgia by the U.S. in spite of Russia’s displeasure.
Given the many wars of aggression led by the US, Israel and other West European countries, their leaders are not in a position to call for restraint. It has also been noted how the US-controlled United Nations were so quick to react to Russia’s military response to Georgia’s attack, contrary to their slow reaction in the case of Israel’s attack against Lebanon and the Palestinians on more than one occasion.
Conclusion
Military strategists would argue that the thinking behind the European West’s use of Georgia to attack Russia in Ossetia is much more far-reaching. Given their murderous military overseas ventures, their unflinching support of Israel’s terrorist occupation of Palestine, their desire to attack Iran, their greed for oil, the Russians de facto support of Iran and objection to the West’s stationing of their so-called defensive radar systems in Eastern Europe, the European West wanted to test how a post cold war Russia would react. It appears that a retreat by Russia would have meant that they could attack Iran without fear. The response of Russia against a US and Israel armed, advised and trained Georgian army has seriously upset the outcome of their dice throw, and may very well be a turning point in their foreign policy, and even speed up their defeat in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine.
M Rafic Soormally
London
11 August 2008
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