What do we do if Russia invades Ukraine?

[kenny blankenship]

70. What did we do in 2008 when Russia and Georgia fought over S. Ossetia & Abkhazia ?

Russia overran those two breakaway provinces of Georgia, occupied them, and as punishment partially invaded and bombed targets located in Georgia proper. The West did not ride to the rescue. Georgia did not retake these two regions. Russia recognized them as "independent" states, extending Russian citizenship to the Russian speaking populations of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and Russia now keeps bases and troops stationed in them under "bilateral agreements".

An underlying reason for the war was NATO's attempt to recruit Georgia into alliance against Russia. Georgia applied for NATO membership, with US sponsorship, and Russia's response (backing separatist militias, and invasion) has made that look like not such a good move for NATO. In Oct. 2013, NATO Secretary General A. F. Rasmussen announced memberships for Georgia -and Ukraine- would not be ratified. Georgia has not dropped their bid and wants in this year.

During the Russo-Georgian war over Ossetia and Abkhazia, the United States issued routine condemnations and criticisms. from Wikipedia. "U.S. president George W. Bush's statement to Russia was : "Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century." Yes, he actually said that.

And that is what "we" did during the most recent, most parallel example of conflict and invasion involving our old enemy Russia in her immediate periphery of small potato countries and regions. We issued strongly worded statements - and that is all. For the alternative is to go to war and to get many people killed, perhaps tens of millions of people killed, over some people we don't actually give a fuck about.

This is why the policy of instigating shit that "we" have been pursuing -pushing NATO's military frontier into the ring of old border states around the USSR, or into actual former USSR republics- is reckless and irresponsible. Maybe admitting Georgia to NATO will be what "we" do to retaliate against Russia over the Ukraine conflict, although it would extremely foolish of "us" to do so. When "we" succeed in inciting some Georgians and Ukrainians into a bloody conflict with their big, bad neighbor, "we" are invariably going to leave them to face the music alone.