Comments on Global Power Europe: Georgia: the next Yugoslavia?

Wow, a really good article. Before all these happe...

2008-08-14T21:01:00.000+01:00

Wow, a really good article. Before all these happened, I knew that Russia will once cause problems, but I didn't expect it this soon. And they will surely not stop there.
But I think that it's really dangerous that we depend on Russia's oil, gas etc, because it might stop us acting in the future, when they will come closer...
Oh, and I think that they will be the liberators, who save us

James,You are right that the 4000-5000 number is n...

2008-08-12T10:54:00.000+01:00

James,

You are right that the 4000-5000 number is not entirely accurate, that would be approximately the number of troops that are integrated into the EU's 'battlegroups'. Of course, there are troops beyond those which can also be deployed on short notice (within 4 to 5 days).

Still, we should not exaggerate the capacity for rapid deployment out of theatre, which is severely

Dear David,Many thanks for your kind words. We mus...

2008-08-12T05:43:00.000+01:00

Dear David,

Many thanks for your kind words. We must stand together in resisting Russian aggression and standing up for European interests. So I'm happy for you to use my brief article on your profile. I shall hopefully add something else as things play out.

James.

Dear James,I'm a British Council scholar from Geor...

2008-08-12T03:27:00.000+01:00

Dear James,

I'm a British Council scholar from Georgia studying MBA at Lancaster University. I must say I have become a fan of yours just by reading this single article by yourself. Thank you very much for such an in-depth and well-thought analysis. I have taken a liberty to publish your article on my Facebook hoping that you would not be against it.

Furthermore, I would like

Nanne: You are to some extent correct that we (eit...

2008-08-10T14:59:00.000+01:00

Nanne: You are to some extent correct that we (either the Union or NATO) have the right to refuse membership to countries which do not cut the mustard. But I think, as NATO continues its progression towards a two-tiered alliance, that some members have more of a right here than others. Given that only Britain and France now spend more than the two percent of their GDP on their armed forces (

James,We in NATO have a right to determine how far...

2008-08-10T13:06:00.000+01:00

James,

We in NATO have a right to determine how far we want to stretch our alliance and whether we are willing to take up countries that have unresolved internal conflicts that can easily draw us into war with Russia. We also have a right to determine the extent of our charity in the EU in taking up countries that are extremely poor and whose democracies are still fledging.

I

Nanne: The reason Georgia is under attack by Russi...

2008-08-09T14:54:00.000+01:00

Nanne: The reason Georgia is under attack by Russia is because Europeans have not been willing to deal with Russia as it should be dealt with—as a wild and unruly competitor. Here, Germany is mostly responsible, particularly its blocking of the granting of a Membership Action Plan to Georgia at Bucharest earlier in the year. I doubt Georgia would be suffering in the way that it now is had it been

Are there any countries without Russian passport h...

2008-08-09T14:17:00.000+01:00

Are there any countries without Russian passport holders?

It's become clear that Georgia is de facto in Russ...

2008-08-09T12:47:00.000+01:00

It's become clear that Georgia is de facto in Russia's sphere of influence and that the EU has no military leverage in the area.

The reaction might have been different had the Russians moved first, but, as you neglect to mention, this started with a Georgian escalation (which included shelling a civilian population).

Why do you see everything on a slippery slope, or