U.S. avoids Poti, docks at Georgian port

Russia is back as a super power.

Dragan,

The world knows very well that the Russian army had been hard at work on its war preparations since before August 8....they repaired the railroad tracks close to Georgia, moved 150 tanks through the Roky tunnel before Aug. 8..etc etc. Well prepared in advance just like Germany's attack on Poland in 1938. It is trully amazing if even a French like Bernard-Henri Levy writes this way in the Wall Street Journal.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121979710251174853.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

Yes, as he writes "Russia offers a permanently obscene gesture to "messages"" of the West. The next years will be extremely interesting. But one thing is already sure: Russia will lose this second Cold War too. This time it will last less than 10 years.

Yeah, Russia is back as superpower because is patrolling a god forsaken port in Georgia.
(miri, 27 August 2008 16:39)

Miri, a great update about Russia, but I guess a bit childish and outdated...

In one thing you are right, oil and gas are their strenghts and weeknesses, but they are also the biggest exporter of any other kind of commodities, from wood to gold, platin, diamonds, just name it etc..., moreover lately their flagship enterprises started to heavily invest all around the world (including in the US) in processing factories, energy distributers and mines, not forgetting what the physicall persons invest abroad.

Last but not least the central bank has now close to 600 bio reserve up from 8 bio 10 years ago...(this is approx the amount of the today's US budget deficit.

On the other hand you also certainly know that on the other side the Europeans companies have been heavily investing in Russia and the size of their investments and contracts is simply beyond imagination...so to tackle the Russia nowadays is not the right thing to do!

Kosovo was a stupid blind mistake organized by the US and followed by a totally weak and splitted EU and what happened in Georgia is just in line with the same blind US foreign policy!

8 years, that's what it took to Bush and co to completely destabilize the world order and bring their country to an abyssal deficit and red alarms everywhere, sorry not everywhere, the oil and weapon companies are doing fine..., easy to understand why...

> Poti's port reportedly suffered heavy damage from the Russian military. In addition, Russian troops have established checkpoints on the northern approach to the city and a U.S. ship docking there could have been seen as a direct challenge.

At least someone, somewhere in the US is showing a bit of common sense...

> Later in the day, the U.S. Embassy retracted its earlier statement that an aid ship would dock in Poti. The spokesperson would not allow their name to be used.

> "The decision of where to send aid was made at the highest level of the Pentagon and the only decision was to send it to Batumi," a U.S. Embassy spokesman said on condition of not being further identified.

...but we'll never know who - competency isn't something this white house values - just obedience.

And of course we believe you. That cutter was undoubtably zigzagging all over the black sea to thwart Al Qaeda's submarine fleet.

ps: What on earth is the US coast guard doing in the Black sea???

"Russia is back as a super power."

Yeah, just like in old times of USSR, with few differences.

Much smaller than USSR and much more isolated than USSR.

If you are old enough, you should remember what happened to that big beast twenty years ago. Now NATO is at the door of Russia, half of the old soviet satellites are NATO members and the other half are aspiring to join the alliance.
All Russia has is just oil as if it didn't have it before during the old days of cold war!!
Despite few millionares Russia is as poor as it used to be.
It has been longing for the so called status of superpower but lacks all the credibility and the means to be one. Russia has no friends, no infrastructure and produces nothing other than oil and gas. 90% of its business is tied to selling its energy resources to EU, while only one third of EU energy resources are dependent on Russia. Russia has no credibility, no one trusts Russia, even those rouge states that claim to support it like Venezuela, Cuba and Syria. Russia is well below China in every standing, but most importantly economically. While China is the factory of the world Russia is just a pathetic excuse for a superpower.
While US economy is greater than China, Japan and Germany combined, Russia barely made it into the 10-th place only due to the soaring high prices of oil.
It took 70 years for Soviet beast to be tamed, given the circumstances of today, it will take less than 7 years for the bear.

Yeah, Russia is back as superpower because is patrolling a god forsaken port in Georgia.

When a big war ship delivers only 35 tonns of "humanitarian aid" there are always questions what do they understand under the "aid". So the Yankees are just afraid that the metallized part of the aid will be confiscated like the US property Hammer cars two weeks ago.

It was American intelligence and their generals that gave the green light to the Georgian leadership to begin their August fiasco. Sadly, the American plan failed, and the events that have unfolded have changed the geopolitical landscape. Further, the world is now in some more of a balance, with two voices to be heard. In ending the Kosovo quick fix solution the Americans and their lackeys enspoused also put fuel on the fire.

Peter,

Ha, ha, so you don't like the US coast guard there???
Just remember it is not the Soviet Union anymore.
There are 3 NATO countries around. How times are changing. Soon there will be 4 with Georgia since now even hesitating countries like Germany are for that country's membership to protect it against the big bear.

dear Joe,

I do not greet what Russia did and I have zero sympathy towards putin (remember his reaction to lost submarine Kursk and the death of the crew? - Who does it to own people, does to others).

But I can tell you, the article you cited is bogus AT LEAST in one point: you surely remember the picture of Georgian "Grad" (= "jégesö") Katyusa -s and rain of flying mines on the Ossetian city. A single Katyusa-salvo will "produce" more than 47 civilian deaths in a city. The Georgian army "katyused" Ossetians for at least half a day and they used several (at least) units. Hundreds being dead are in synch with what we did see. Otherwise - why did Georgians "katyused" the city? Just to make a firework or to kill in big numbers?

Also to be noted: these units were not used in Serbian-Albanian conflict. Not sure all here are familiar with the effect of "Grad".

Joe:
> Ha, ha, so you don't like the US coast guard there???

Am largely indifferent to the make-up of US/NATO naval presence in the Black sea as long as it doesn't include any capital ships &/or carriers - as these would be taken as a serious threat by the Russians & god knows what would happen then.

Was instead simply wondering what on earth they were doing so far away from from the US coast?

Only thing I can think of is they were on some sort of goodwill visit in the area & US navy decided to use them to minimise it's 'threat potential' to Russia in the Black sea.

As for Georgia &/or Ukraine joining NATO, dream on. NATO simply hasn't got the ability to defend them should things flare up again. And while the 'neo-con's in their dying days at the white house might be willing to risk it, EU/NATO members now certainly won't - regardless of all the rhetoric.

The reservations they expressed recently at the recent NATO summit will be rock-hard come December.

> The world knows very well that the Russian army had been hard at work on its war preparations since before August 8....they repaired the railroad tracks close to Georgia, moved 150 tanks through the Roky tunnel before Aug. 8..etc etc. Well prepared in advance just like Germany's attack on Poland in 1938. It is trully amazing if even a French like Bernard-Henri Levy writes this way in the Wall Street Journal.

For starters, Germany invaded Poland in 39, not 38.

And comparing the invasion of Poland then with Russia's intervention in Georgia now is absurd.

In 1939, Germany invaded Poland on the pretext that polish troops had attacked a german radio station when in fact the germans staged the whole thing using germans dressed up as poles.

Wheras Russia's intervention in South Ossetia was prompted by a full-scale assault by the georgian army on it's break-away province of South Ossetia.

For a certainty, the russians anticipated this & made preparations as you've stated above.

But stating that the Georgian assault on South Ossetia was in response to these preparations is just as absurd as your comparison between the nazi's & the russians above.

The georgians have been preparing for this for years. Their military budget has been increasing year after year with a significant contribution coming from the good old US of A.

The US military has been busy in Georgia for most of this decade, upgrading the 'attack' capabilities & training the troops of the georgian armed forces.

Then the georgians launch a 'blitzkreig' assault on South Ossetia which co-incidentally looks an awful lot like 'Operation Storm' launched by the croats on the break-away serbs in the Krajina region of Croatia in the 90's.

And then, just as now, the US was busy training, upgrading & financing the troops used.

Only this time it didn't work because the russians weren't caught napping & didn't back down.

As for Levy's comments, wasn't he one of the founders of the french equivalent of the 'neo-con's?

He sounds to me very much like one of the soon-to-be-unemployed drones at the white house.

Ahhhh...the US.
Again entering a conflict on foreign land. Will it ever learn.
And to the Georgian's a word of caution, be very aware with who you are getting into bed with. Not to dampen your spirts but understand that the US care zero about you perse but more about your 'strategic' position. Thus you have a 'value' but don't let this value deceive you because although it may seem very attract now to some, but long term....? Ensure that you always remember the US must & will always leave after making a mess, so ask yourself who will be there to help defend you over the next 0 - 20 years. As Russia is beginning to show it NEVER forgets.

On 27 August 2008 15:43, Jevic wrote:

"Russia is back as a super power."

Here - let me fix that for you:

"Russia is back as a super bully."

Peter,

Ha, ha, so you don't like the US coast guard there???
Just remember it is not the Soviet Union anymore.
There are 3 NATO countries around. How times are changing. Soon there will be 4 with Georgia since now even hesitating countries like Germany are for that country's membership to protect it against the big bear.

"Russia is back as a super power."

Yeah, just like in old times of USSR, with few differences.

Much smaller than USSR and much more isolated than USSR.

If you are old enough, you should remember what happened to that big beast twenty years ago. Now NATO is at the door of Russia, half of the old soviet satellites are NATO members and the other half are aspiring to join the alliance.
All Russia has is just oil as if it didn't have it before during the old days of cold war!!
Despite few millionares Russia is as poor as it used to be.
It has been longing for the so called status of superpower but lacks all the credibility and the means to be one. Russia has no friends, no infrastructure and produces nothing other than oil and gas. 90% of its business is tied to selling its energy resources to EU, while only one third of EU energy resources are dependent on Russia. Russia has no credibility, no one trusts Russia, even those rouge states that claim to support it like Venezuela, Cuba and Syria. Russia is well below China in every standing, but most importantly economically. While China is the factory of the world Russia is just a pathetic excuse for a superpower.
While US economy is greater than China, Japan and Germany combined, Russia barely made it into the 10-th place only due to the soaring high prices of oil.
It took 70 years for Soviet beast to be tamed, given the circumstances of today, it will take less than 7 years for the bear.

Yeah, Russia is back as superpower because is patrolling a god forsaken port in Georgia.

Russia is back as a super power.

Dragan,

The world knows very well that the Russian army had been hard at work on its war preparations since before August 8....they repaired the railroad tracks close to Georgia, moved 150 tanks through the Roky tunnel before Aug. 8..etc etc. Well prepared in advance just like Germany's attack on Poland in 1938. It is trully amazing if even a French like Bernard-Henri Levy writes this way in the Wall Street Journal.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121979710251174853.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

Yes, as he writes "Russia offers a permanently obscene gesture to "messages"" of the West. The next years will be extremely interesting. But one thing is already sure: Russia will lose this second Cold War too. This time it will last less than 10 years.

> Poti's port reportedly suffered heavy damage from the Russian military. In addition, Russian troops have established checkpoints on the northern approach to the city and a U.S. ship docking there could have been seen as a direct challenge.

At least someone, somewhere in the US is showing a bit of common sense...

> Later in the day, the U.S. Embassy retracted its earlier statement that an aid ship would dock in Poti. The spokesperson would not allow their name to be used.

> "The decision of where to send aid was made at the highest level of the Pentagon and the only decision was to send it to Batumi," a U.S. Embassy spokesman said on condition of not being further identified.

...but we'll never know who - competency isn't something this white house values - just obedience.

And of course we believe you. That cutter was undoubtably zigzagging all over the black sea to thwart Al Qaeda's submarine fleet.

ps: What on earth is the US coast guard doing in the Black sea???

When a big war ship delivers only 35 tonns of "humanitarian aid" there are always questions what do they understand under the "aid". So the Yankees are just afraid that the metallized part of the aid will be confiscated like the US property Hammer cars two weeks ago.

It was American intelligence and their generals that gave the green light to the Georgian leadership to begin their August fiasco. Sadly, the American plan failed, and the events that have unfolded have changed the geopolitical landscape. Further, the world is now in some more of a balance, with two voices to be heard. In ending the Kosovo quick fix solution the Americans and their lackeys enspoused also put fuel on the fire.

Yeah, Russia is back as superpower because is patrolling a god forsaken port in Georgia.
(miri, 27 August 2008 16:39)

Miri, a great update about Russia, but I guess a bit childish and outdated...

In one thing you are right, oil and gas are their strenghts and weeknesses, but they are also the biggest exporter of any other kind of commodities, from wood to gold, platin, diamonds, just name it etc..., moreover lately their flagship enterprises started to heavily invest all around the world (including in the US) in processing factories, energy distributers and mines, not forgetting what the physicall persons invest abroad.

Last but not least the central bank has now close to 600 bio reserve up from 8 bio 10 years ago...(this is approx the amount of the today's US budget deficit.

On the other hand you also certainly know that on the other side the Europeans companies have been heavily investing in Russia and the size of their investments and contracts is simply beyond imagination...so to tackle the Russia nowadays is not the right thing to do!

Kosovo was a stupid blind mistake organized by the US and followed by a totally weak and splitted EU and what happened in Georgia is just in line with the same blind US foreign policy!

8 years, that's what it took to Bush and co to completely destabilize the world order and bring their country to an abyssal deficit and red alarms everywhere, sorry not everywhere, the oil and weapon companies are doing fine..., easy to understand why...

dear Joe,

I do not greet what Russia did and I have zero sympathy towards putin (remember his reaction to lost submarine Kursk and the death of the crew? - Who does it to own people, does to others).

But I can tell you, the article you cited is bogus AT LEAST in one point: you surely remember the picture of Georgian "Grad" (= "jégesö") Katyusa -s and rain of flying mines on the Ossetian city. A single Katyusa-salvo will "produce" more than 47 civilian deaths in a city. The Georgian army "katyused" Ossetians for at least half a day and they used several (at least) units. Hundreds being dead are in synch with what we did see. Otherwise - why did Georgians "katyused" the city? Just to make a firework or to kill in big numbers?

Also to be noted: these units were not used in Serbian-Albanian conflict. Not sure all here are familiar with the effect of "Grad".

On 27 August 2008 15:43, Jevic wrote:

"Russia is back as a super power."

Here - let me fix that for you:

"Russia is back as a super bully."

Ahhhh...the US.
Again entering a conflict on foreign land. Will it ever learn.
And to the Georgian's a word of caution, be very aware with who you are getting into bed with. Not to dampen your spirts but understand that the US care zero about you perse but more about your 'strategic' position. Thus you have a 'value' but don't let this value deceive you because although it may seem very attract now to some, but long term....? Ensure that you always remember the US must & will always leave after making a mess, so ask yourself who will be there to help defend you over the next 0 - 20 years. As Russia is beginning to show it NEVER forgets.

Joe:
> Ha, ha, so you don't like the US coast guard there???

Am largely indifferent to the make-up of US/NATO naval presence in the Black sea as long as it doesn't include any capital ships &/or carriers - as these would be taken as a serious threat by the Russians & god knows what would happen then.

Was instead simply wondering what on earth they were doing so far away from from the US coast?

Only thing I can think of is they were on some sort of goodwill visit in the area & US navy decided to use them to minimise it's 'threat potential' to Russia in the Black sea.

As for Georgia &/or Ukraine joining NATO, dream on. NATO simply hasn't got the ability to defend them should things flare up again. And while the 'neo-con's in their dying days at the white house might be willing to risk it, EU/NATO members now certainly won't - regardless of all the rhetoric.

The reservations they expressed recently at the recent NATO summit will be rock-hard come December.

> The world knows very well that the Russian army had been hard at work on its war preparations since before August 8....they repaired the railroad tracks close to Georgia, moved 150 tanks through the Roky tunnel before Aug. 8..etc etc. Well prepared in advance just like Germany's attack on Poland in 1938. It is trully amazing if even a French like Bernard-Henri Levy writes this way in the Wall Street Journal.

For starters, Germany invaded Poland in 39, not 38.

And comparing the invasion of Poland then with Russia's intervention in Georgia now is absurd.

In 1939, Germany invaded Poland on the pretext that polish troops had attacked a german radio station when in fact the germans staged the whole thing using germans dressed up as poles.

Wheras Russia's intervention in South Ossetia was prompted by a full-scale assault by the georgian army on it's break-away province of South Ossetia.

For a certainty, the russians anticipated this & made preparations as you've stated above.

But stating that the Georgian assault on South Ossetia was in response to these preparations is just as absurd as your comparison between the nazi's & the russians above.

The georgians have been preparing for this for years. Their military budget has been increasing year after year with a significant contribution coming from the good old US of A.

The US military has been busy in Georgia for most of this decade, upgrading the 'attack' capabilities & training the troops of the georgian armed forces.

Then the georgians launch a 'blitzkreig' assault on South Ossetia which co-incidentally looks an awful lot like 'Operation Storm' launched by the croats on the break-away serbs in the Krajina region of Croatia in the 90's.

And then, just as now, the US was busy training, upgrading & financing the troops used.

Only this time it didn't work because the russians weren't caught napping & didn't back down.

As for Levy's comments, wasn't he one of the founders of the french equivalent of the 'neo-con's?

He sounds to me very much like one of the soon-to-be-unemployed drones at the white house.