The NYT reports on actions taken, or not taken, by Russia (the AP had a similar story):

Although Russia claimed it had begun withdrawing its troops from Georgia on Monday, Russian soldiers were digging in positions along the highway approaching Tbilisi and showed no signs of pulling back from the severest confrontation between Russia and the West since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Instead, along one major road, four Russian tanks rattled a few miles closer to the capital, and then plowed through parked police cars blocking a road as Georgian police officers stood by in dismay. Elsewhere on the ground in Georgia, no significant troop movement was evident.

Meanwhile, the Secretary of State talked tough about Russia’s invasion and occupation of Georgia and its resumption of deploying nuclear bombers along the coast of Alaska. AP:

Russia is playing a “very dangerous game”…This “is a very dangerous game and perhaps one the Russians want to reconsider,” Rice said of the flights that began again with frequency about six months ago. “This is not something that is just cost-free. Nobody needs Russian strategic aviation along America’s coast.”…the French would be seeking “an explanation from the Russians for why the Russian president either won’t or can’t keep his word…”It didn’t take that long for the Russian forces to get in and it really shouldn’t take that long for them to get out…

“We have to deny Russian strategic objectives, which are clearly to undermine Georgia’s democracy, to use its military capability to damage and in some cases destroy Georgian infrastructure and to try and weaken the Georgian state,” she said. “We are determined to deny them their strategic objective”

If the “strategic objective” of Russia was merely to try to control oil supplies, and perhaps influence oil prices, its actions would be understandable, if not wise. Normally we would be inclined to think that Russia’s actions trump the mere talk of the West.

However, by the grossness of its actions, Putin’s Russia has revealed itself to be a hulking bully, coarse, undisciplined and untrustworthy — and it has done so in such a way that there can be no doubt about its nature. (Indeed, its propaganda is as crude as its actions.) China has benefited by the strategic ambiguity of its intentions; Russia no longer will get the benefit of any such doubts.

In his dealings with Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan often said “trust but verify.” That phrase seems today quaint and inapplicable to today’s Russia. It remains to be seen if Russia’s actions will work towards its benefit, or result in a meaningful and lasting backlash that will harm its long term interests. As has been pointed out, Russia’s degree of connectedness with the West is far greater today than it was in the time of the USSR. Having said that, Russia’s continuing bluster bodes ill for a happy outcome to current events.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 10:42 pm and is filed under China, Democrats, General, War, business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.