Betzee said...

Betzee at 02:31 AM JST - 11th August

. . . or especially when China tried it with Vietnam in 1979, well, everyone should remember how that played out . . .

Yeah, the PLA got their butts kicked. The Chinese were ticked the Vietnamese had the temerity to liberate the Cambodians from the Pol Pot regime (which…

Posted in Russia, Georgia head toward war over South Ossetia at 02:31 AM JST - 11th August
Betzee at 12:00 AM JST - 11th August

He made the comments after attending services at a Protestant church in the Chinese capital and amid a festive mood spawned by the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games on Friday.

That's an officially licensed place of worship so, like, what's the point? As the Asia Director of Human Rights…

Posted in Bush faults China for controlling religious freedom at 12:00 AM JST - 11th August
Betzee at 11:20 PM JST - 10th August

But this is the price we have to pay for attempting to extend our sphere of influence into former Soviet Republics.

This is a valid question. Should we be extending, or trying to extend, NATO membership up to Moscow's borders? When the Soviets tried it with the tiny Caribbean island…

Posted in Russia, Georgia head toward war over South Ossetia at 11:20 PM JST - 10th August
Betzee at 11:00 PM JST - 10th August

SezWho,

If you are going to play the war game, you might as well be effective about it and counter attack instead of simply playing defense.

Ah, but that would require Superlib to deploy intellectual ammunition and he clearly doesn't have any. Hence the reliance on strawmen.

*The latest Russian…

Posted in Russia, Georgia head toward war over South Ossetia at 11:00 PM JST - 10th August
Betzee at 11:14 AM JST - 10th August

My guess is that it's an age-old ethnic animosity which took on a geopolitical dimension as proposed new energy pipelines through Georgia and NATO membership for Georgia did not sit well with Moscow (which no doubt expects deference from former republic states).

Posted in Russia, Georgia head toward war over South Ossetia at 11:14 AM JST - 10th August
Betzee at 10:55 AM JST - 10th August

The fact that there is no international consensus about what to do when small regions wish to become autonomous is --as very apparent here-- a very dangerous and volatile mix;

Indeed. Though probably forgotten by many, there are still refugees left over from the deadly mid-1990s Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict in the…

Posted in Russia, Georgia head toward war over South Ossetia at 10:55 AM JST - 10th August
Betzee at 09:30 AM JST - 10th August

What US concerning about the Caucasus region was the oil. America and British oil company wants to STEAL oil from Caspain sea through a pipe to Turkey by passing Russia and Iran.

The Caspian Sea and Central Asia have the natural resources (oil, gas). Georgia is geographically unlucky in that…

Posted in Russia, Georgia head toward war over South Ossetia at 09:30 AM JST - 10th August
Betzee at 08:07 AM JST - 10th August

“Both candidates in this election pledge to end this war and bring our troops home. The great difference is that I intend to win it first,” McCain said.

If he could tell us how we will know when we've "won it" that would be helpful. One indication might be the…

Posted in McCain faults Obama on the war in Iraq at 08:07 AM JST - 10th August
Betzee at 06:35 AM JST - 10th August

Angela Merkel's statement that a country with unresolved conflicts can't enter Nato helped, too: it sent Russia a signal that it could prevent Georgia's Nato membership simply by stirring conflict.

Preventing Georgia from joining NATO is only one of Russia's concerns. The other is to retain control over the delivery…

Posted in Russia, Georgia head toward war over South Ossetia at 06:35 AM JST - 10th August
Betzee at 05:00 AM JST - 10th August

At any rate, I wish some would stop giving Bush and company any ounce of credit for the "brilliant surge" strategy. Going back to a concept first proposed by a now retired general (and whose name was drug through mud for it), in order to cover up and correct your…

Posted in Sadr says he'll dissolve militia if U.S. withdraws from Iraq at 05:00 AM JST - 10th August