Russia formally recognises the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent

[finneys13]

The Russian president has said the country has formally recognised the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent.
Dmitry Medvedev announced that he had signed decrees in a televised address.
The move follows a vote in both houses of Russian parliament on Monday, calling on him to recognise the regions' status.
It comes despite criticism from US President George W Bush over Russia's decision.
"I have signed decrees on the recognition by the Russian Federation of the independence of South Ossetia and the independence of Abkhazia," Mr Medvedev said in the announcement.
Analysts say the move is likely to further escalate tensions between Russia and the West.
Earlier on Tuesday, Russia cancelled a visit by Nato's secretary general, one of a series of measures to suspend co-operation with the military alliance.
Russia's ambassador to Nato said the trip would be delayed until relations between the two were clarified.
Dmitry Rogozin said a "new understanding" needed to be reached between Russia and Nato.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7582181.stm

Deserves a new thread I think.

Russia just becoming a laughing stock now, anyone remember Russia having a fit over a little Serbian region declaring independence?

[clandestino]

Expected,now we'll see the reactions,personaly I'm hoping for nice,big war.

Russia just becoming a laughing stock now, anyone remember Russia haveing a fit over a little Serbian region declaring independence?

Anyone remember how USA recognized that little Serbian region in moment when they declared independence?

[illyrius]

Now, see Russia is pathetic.

[finneys13]

I do, but you have to admit that Russia has lost that Kosovo agrument as they have recognised these two regions, the same way as America recognised Kosovo.

[illyrius]

Russia now is going to be isolated together with those two provinces. What a shame.

[Mikelus Trento]

Russia now is going to be isolated together with those two provinces. What a shame.

Yup, Europe will just let them drown in their own oil while they do without. Yeah right.

And I see the Russians took Bush's warning seriously, after he had managed to break away from chopping wood.

[CarbEast]

Unfortunatelly, and you won't read it in Western press, Russia was *forced* to make this decision. Russia could only accept Georgia's territorial integrity in case there was no danger of another attempt from Georgia to acquire control of these territories with military force. Unfortunately Georgia officially stated that they will continue these attempts no matter what, and US/NATO manifested intention to supply Georgia with weapons and full support. This means that Russia would have to fight another war with Georgia or to allow Georgia to take control over this land thus having to deal with massive Ossetian/Abkhazian refugee flows and heavy insurgency in these areas setting on fire whole Caucasus. Neither is acceptable for Russia. But both are quite desirable for US, because another flashpoint on the map would have created ideal pretext for extended military presence in the region (yes, just like in Iraq).

If West really wanted to stabilize this region and ensure Georgia's territorial integrity they should have agreed to demilitarize Georgia and constrain it from another attempts of resolving problems by military means. Looks like stability is not exactly what they need...

[Panzerbear]

Unfortunatelly, and you won't read it in Western press, Russia was *forced* to make this decision. Russia could only accept Georgia's territorial integrity in case there was no danger of another attempt from Georgia to acquire control of these territories with military force. Unfortunately Georgia officially stated that they will continue these attempts no matter what, and US/NATO manifested intention to supply Georgia with weapons and full support. This means that Russia would have to fight another war with Georgia or to allow Georgia to take control over this land thus having to deal with massive Ossetian/Abkhazian refugee flows and heavy insurgency in these areas setting on fire whole Caucasus. Neither is acceptable for Russia. But both are quite desirable for US, because another flashpoint on the map would have created ideal pretext for extended military presence in the region (yes, just like in Iraq).

If West really wanted to stabilize this region and ensure Georgia's territorial integrity they should have agreed to demilitarize Georgia and constrain it from another attempts of resolving problems by military means. Looks like stability is not exactly what they need...

nice post. can someone give a rep to this guy?
(yes I am on probation lol)

[Holger Danske]

Russia now is going to be isolated together with those two provinces. What a shame.

Don't forget Serbia

[Flavius Merobaudes]

Don't forget Serbia

Serbia wants to be in EU. The Serbs are fed up with suffering for the mistakes of some misguided idiots that happened to be their leaders. Today, they tend westward.
Pan-Slavism is dead.

[Grobar]

Serbia wants to be in EU. The Serbs are fed up with suffering for the mistakes of some misguided idiots that happened to be their leaders. Today, they tend westward.
Pan-Slavism is dead.

Actually Serbs are equally divided between “west’ and “Russia” option, which is quite amazing considering all the garbage that West threw at us. I guess they didn’t kill enough of us and stolen enough of our land for us to realize that our future can only be with Russia in economic and military ties.
Pan-Slavism is always alive, not between South Slavs anymore but certainly between other Slavic countries.

[Dr. Croccer]

I do, but you have to admit that Russia has lost that Kosovo agrument as they have recognised these two regions, the same way as America recognised Kosovo.

Yet America doesn't do the same with Abkhazia and S. Ossetia. So, who's the laughing stock again? Kosovo was recognised by a minority of countries, Russia was hardly alone.

[finneys13]

Yet America doesn't do the same with Abkhazia and S. Ossetia. So, who's the laughing stock again? Kosovo was recognised by a minority of countries, Russia was hardly alone.

You don't get my point, Russia is laughing stock as they have so fiercely opposed Kosovo's independence, but yet they go off then and recognise South Ossetia's and Abkhazia's independence in a very similar manner to America's recogniation of Kosovo.

Totally undermining their reasoning on why Kosovo should stay a part of Serbia.

Yeah.. So why is the west throwing a fit over a little break-away region this time around? Is it because the West is becoming a laughing stock?

Is the West opposing this as strongly as Russia did with Kosovo? Not really.

[wilpuri]

You don't get my point, Russia is laughing stock as they have so fiercely opposed Kosovo's independence, but yet they go off then and recognise South Ossetia's and Abkhazia's independence in a very similar manner to America's recogniation of Kosovo.

Totally undermining their reasoning on why Kosovo should stay a part of Serbia.

Actually they've played it very well. They did warn that Kosovo would set a precedent, and so it has. Putin has played the West 6-0 and some people are still too stupid to realize it because they cannot read between the lines of Western media.

I ask again: Now that the USA and other Western countries are throwing a fit over Georgia's territorial integrity, why is it Russia who is the laughing stock? What are the rules of this laughing-stock game? Is it so that Russia is always the laughing stock and the West is always right, or how does it work? Because the roles are now quite neatly reversed, yet Russia is in the wrong AGAIN? How does this work?

Is the West opposing this as strongly as Russia did with Kosovo? Not really.

How do you measure this opposition? What would make the opposition strong enough for the West to be the laughing stock? How many objective units of political opposition (OUoPO) does it require?

[finneys13]

Actually they've played it very well. They did warn that Kosovo would set a precedent, and so it has. Putin has played the West 6-0 and some people are still too stupid to realize it because they cannot read between the lines of Western media.

I ask again: Now that the USA and other Western countries are throwing a fit over Georgia's territorial integrity, why is it Russia who is the laughing stock? What are the rules of this laughing-stock game? Is it so that Russia is always the laughing stock and the West is always right, or how does it work? Because the roles are now quite neatly reversed, yet Russia is in the wrong AGAIN? How does this work?

Not really. Both of our points are correct, but I am focusing on the Russia side more than the West.

The West has been outplayed by Putin no doubt, the West has been made fools of. My point is that any sincerity Russia had over the Kosovo problem is gone now, it helps to show that the Russians have no love for the Serbs as the Serbs preach, they were just used as the Americans have used Georgia.

[alhoon]

I ask again: Now that the USA and other Western countries are throwing a fit over Georgia's territorial integrity, why is it Russia who is the laughing stock? What are the rules of this laughing-stock game? Is it so that Russia is always the laughing stock and the West is always right, or how does it work?

Heh, what did you expect from a Strategy game forum based in USA? An unbiased or objective oppinion?

of course for the most people in this forum, Russia will be the bad guys and USA the liberator!

[Mithie]

Sorry - I see nothing wrong with this move, from both a political point of view and a humanitarian point of view.

[wilpuri]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7582181.stm

Deserves a new thread I think.

Russia just becoming a laughing stock now, anyone remember Russia having a fit over a little Serbian region declaring independence?

Yeah.. So why is the west throwing a fit over a little break-away region this time around? Is it because the West is becoming a laughing stock?

[clandestino]

And USA had lost Georgia argument when it recognized Kosovo. It's a mirror reflection situation,both sides are exploiting other sides actions while claiming those actions are wrong, USA set the precendence and now the Georgia is victim of that precedence.

[white-wolf]

Medvedev recognises Georgian states

Now it is high time that Medvedev recognises Checenia and North Osetia's indepence, among other states (like Bashkurtistan, Daghistan, Tataristan....etc...).