Russia Says that America Must Choose Between Russia or Georgia

And America answers correctly.

Russia pressed the United States on Wednesday to choose between “a real partnership” with Moscow or an “illusory” relationship with U.S. ally Georgia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday says the United States should choose sides.

“As to choosing, the United States has made very clear that it is standing by the democratically elected government of Georgia,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday.

She spelled out the Bush administration’s stance after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Georgia’s government “a special project for the United States.”

“And we are aware that the U.S. is uptight about this project,” Lavrov said in remarks broadcast on Russian television. “But a choice will have to be made someday between considerations of prestige related to an illusory project and a real partnership in matters which indeed require collective efforts.”

Rice, amid reports that Russian troops remained on the move Wednesday, pushed Russia to abide by a cease-fire signed Tuesday by the Russian and Georgian presidents.

Russian military action in Georgia “must stop and must stop now,” Rice said.

Frankly, a “partnership” with Russia at this point from Russia’s point of view is akin to America being Putin’s prison bitch.  That is not anything to which America should aspire. 

1. Wrong.  The correct answer is “none of the above”.

   These problems are none of our business.

   Posted by on August 14, 2008 at 1028 hrs




2. I always like it when we agree on something.

   Some of the few really decent foreign policy decisions of the past 50 years involve us not recognizing Soviet (whoops!) Russian claims on the territory of it’s satellite neighbors. 

   Still, maybe the President wasn’t wearing his glasses when he looked into Putin’s soul the first time.  Maybe he can see the former KGB director clearly now.

   Best,
   Mp

   Posted by Mpeterson on August 14, 2008 at 1351 hrs




3. We answered incorrectly.  The correct answer was to refer the matter to the UN and implore our supposed European allies to deal with the matter because it is in their backyard, while simultaneously reaffirming our NATO obligations in order to clearly warn Russia where the boundaries lie.  This would have left us able to act as neutral arbiters in the conflict and also would have humiliated Europe by clearly demonstrating their impotence in dealing with incidents even as small and as local to Europe as this one is.  Now we have willingly accepted leadership in this fiasco and with that leadership will come the responsibility and blame for what follows.

   We have no real means of intervening in the conflict.  Had we sided with Russia, the Russians would have used this domestically as proof of how their military strength can bend the United States to Russia’s will.  By siding with Georgia they will now use us domestically by casting the US as an external threat bent on the dissolution of Russia.

   Posted by on August 14, 2008 at 1415 hrs