[Brother None]

Quote:

Originally Posted by galraen What baffles me is why the political Neanderthals like Putin decided to reopen the cold war and why the Russian people voted for them.

Should I point out it was the U.S. who decided to put a missile shield in Russia's backyard and in doing so made a step towards hostile relations? How exactly did Putin reopen it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xandax Of more interesting development, then Abkhazia is requesting of Russia to acknowledge them as an independent nation. What is interesting will be what Russia's reply to that will be, seeing as Russia went into Georgia because they consider especially South Ottesia to be populated with Russian citizen. I think Abkhazia was just there for convience of adding more pressure on Georgia, but it is the interesting after match of what happens to the regions now.

Eh? Abkhazia has Russian citizens as well, was involved in the 1992 war as well and was stuck in exactly the same situation. It wasn't there for "convenience" or to add pressure on Georgia. You make it sound as if their status as a breakaway province or their militia's decision to strike while Georgia was weak was somehow Russia's call.

And Russia has absolutely no benefit in Abkhazia or South-Ossetia being independent states completely dependent on Russia's support economically and militarily. Russia might feel forced to pull for it in reply to all this Western foolhardy chest-bashing, but from an internal politics viewpoint they just want the status quo ante.