War in Georgia: The Israeli connection

[Anti-Globalist]

For past seven years, Israeli companies have been helping Gerogian army to preparer for war against Russia through arms deals, training of infantry units and security advice

The military cooperation between the countries developed swiftly. The fact that Georgia's defense minister, Davit Kezerashvili, is a former Israeli who is fluent in Hebrew contributed to this cooperation.

"His door was always open to the Israelis who came and offered his country arms systems made in Israel," the source said. "Compared to countries in Eastern Europe, the deals in this country were conducted fast, mainly due to the defense minister's personal involvement.

"The Israelis should be proud of themselves for the Israeli training and education received by the Georgian soldiers," Georgian Minister Temur Yakobashvili said Saturday.

Yakobashvili is a Jew and is fluent in Hebrew. "We are now in a fight against the great Russia," he said, "and our hope is to receive assistance from the White House, because Georgia cannot survive on its own.

http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/Art...0136%2C00.html

"Georgian government officials used to tell me that they wanted to model their army after the IDF," former Israeli ambassador to Georgia Shabtai Zur told Ynet Sunday evening amid the country's bloody feud with Russia over the separatist region of South Ossetia.

"In my opinion these developments are due in part to advice Georgia received from Israeli companies that operate there," Zur said, adding that the economic development in the country has attracted many Israeli businessmen.

The former envoy said the ongoing tension between Georgia and the separatist provinces brought Israeli experts to the area.


"The private company of Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch (Galilee Division commander during the Second Lebanon War) has been operating in Georgia for some time now and is providing consultation to the Georgian army," he noted.

Ex-envoy: Georgia modeled its army after IDF - Israel News, Ynetnews

That proves Russia didn't start it.

[cnredd]

Originally Posted by Anti-Globalist

That proves Russia didn't start it.

No...

This proves you choose to see things with Semitic-angle glasses...

[faithful_servant]

Originally Posted by Anti-Globalist

http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/Art...0136%2C00.html


Ex-envoy: Georgia modeled its army after IDF - Israel News, Ynetnews

That proves Russia didn't start it.

So a nation decides to model it's military after what is possiblre the best ever and that means that it their fault that Russia is trying to reassert it's former global empire-building efforts??

[bhkad]

Russia flexing its muscles

Fighting in Georgia a serious test for the West, and mostly for America

Isabella Ginor

Russia’s decision to get involved in a seemingly local conflict apparently stemmed from its desire to prompt Georgia to embark on a military operation. This allowed Russia to portray Georgia as the aggressor and to justify Moscow’s massive intervention

Russia’s conduct is amazingly similar to a scenario we are already well familiar with: The Soviet initiative to create a crisis and war between Israel and the Arab states ahead of the Six-Day War, in order to intervene in favor of the “victims of aggression.”

The scope of the Russian military intervention was immediately characterized by the West as “disproportional.” That would be true had the operation been directed at Georgia alone. The targets bombed by the Russians as early as Friday included a Georgian Air Force base in the capital, Tbilisi. According to some reports, American experts are regularly deployed at the base. Israeli experts may also be deployed there, and at the very least were there at some point.

Yet this bombing, which was accompanied by political declarations, hinted that the Russians were signaling to the West, and mostly to the United States, that Russia is determined to prevent its own encirclement by NATO member states.

West’s credibility on the line

The events in Georgia are tuning into a serious test for the West’s ability, and first and foremost for the US, to end the war in the Caucuses and ensure that Georgia remains a sovereign state. Should Georgia be abandoned, the West’s and America’s credibility in respect to the willingness to protect their allies would be undermined.

Therefore, the events in Georgia must be of great interest for Israel as well. However, if it turns out that Georgia acted rashly and allowed the crisis to escalate, the Americans may be forced to find a balance that is not necessarily in Georgia’s favor. Does this remind you of anything?

Israel maintains close security ties with Georgia, but has great interest in the conflict for other reasons as well: Large quantities of oil and gas are transferred from Azerbaijan to the West via Georgia.


Dr. Isabella Ginor and Gideon Remez co-authored Foxbats over Dimona: The Soviets' Nuclear Gamble in the Six-Day War

Russia flexing its muscles - Israel Opinion, Ynetnews

The issue seems clear.

Who is going to control that region of the world?

The West or Russia?

Russia is asserting it's claim. Without the President making it clear to the American people why it is in our vital interests to challenge that claim we will have to back off.

I believe Russia took a calculated risk in embarking on this action but that it is predictable that they would feel uneasy with NATO forces encroaching on territory so close to it's sphere of influence. During the days of the Soviet Union, THIS AREA WAS ALL THEIRS. And there was no question about it.

Remember the lyrics to the Beatles song, "Back in the USSR":

Well the Ukraine girls really knock me out
They leave the west behind
And Moscow girls make me sing and shout
That Georgia's always on my my my my my my my my my mind

http://www.lyrics007.com/The%20Beatl...%20Lyrics.html

If we are serious about this we will need to increase our manpower and our military expenditures and form a coalition of states which would support us in this effort. And until or unless the President can show us how it is in our vital interests to pursue this option I believe we will have to back away from this confrontation. It will hurt our bargaining position with friend and foes, alike and make us more likely to be challenged by other groups and states, who would understandably see us in the same light as did Osama bin Laden, who called us a Paper Tiger.

However, we just might have to get used to that in order to avoid taking on "a bridge too far."

[Spencer Collins]

Originally Posted by bhkad

If we are serious about this we will need to increase our manpower and our military expenditures and form a coalition of states which would support us in this effort. And until or unless the President can show us how it is in our vital interests to pursue this option I believe we will have to back away from this confrontation. It will hurt our bargaining position with friend and foes, alike and make us more likely to be challenged by other groups and states, who would understandably see us in the same light as did Osama bin Laden, who called us a Paper Tiger.

However, we just might have to get used to that in order to avoid taking on "a bridge too far."

Excellent assessment of the situation and I could not agree more.It's like holding a Bear by the ears,you don't like it much but your afraid to let him go!

[bhkad]

And in a way, I can't blame the Russians for this action. Of course I am in support of the Georgians and their quest for freedom. But the freedom that we offer is messy, full of problems and vulnerabilities. The brand of "freedom" the Russians impose is much more secure to the peoples involved.

They have succeeded in making the people of Russia not only accept their brand of government, heavily controlled freedom, but to like it!

If I was the leader of a country like Russia I might find this variation to be the most viable governmental option.

Maybe that's what Obama has in mind!

[saltwn]

Another song appropriate to today's news:
Today there is no black or white
Today there is no wrong or right
Only shades of gray.........


But what some fail to understand, and I try to engage others in debating (even when I take the devil's side to do this) is there is a clear choice that must be made. That is if you're speaking of Saddam, Bin Laden, Pakistan's delima, or
Russian double spoken untotalitarianism:
You must choose to be with or against American interests.

That was a period. And it was meant to convey that the analysis of the subject is the absolute bottom line.

[bhkad]

Originally Posted by saltwn

Another song appropriate to today's news:
Today there is no black or white
Today there is no wrong or right
Only shades of gray.........


But what some fail to understand, and I try to engage others in debating (even when I take the devil's side to do this) is there is a clear choice that must be made. That is if you're speaking of Saddam, Bin Laden, Pakistan's delima, or
Russian double spoken untotalitarianism:
You must choose to be with or against American interests.

That was a period. And it was meant to convey that the analysis of the subject is the absolute bottom line.

I just engaged someone on that very point.

Although there IS a third option, one which has no significant sponsorship...

That national or religious ideological interests must take a back seat to human interests. And that is the problem. Although John Lennon was it's philosophical Godfather, the idea of humanity leading the way to prevent aggression is impossible to achieve.

Once one side has more firepower, humanity's position must yield to might.
And once Humanity gains military might it becomes what it hates.

So humanity's position is ALWAYS going to be a charity requiring a sponsor.

A sponsor with military might and with an ideology to impose or interests to protect.

So, as you said, it is always going to be WITH US or AGAINST US.

[saltwn]

bhkad:...So humanity's position is ALWAYS going to be a charity requiring a sponsor.

A sponsor with ______ might and with an ideology to impose or interests to protect...

Not to derail here, but I want to point out that that is the main reason a lot of women (who don't have to) choose to work.