No subject

did not make a significant effort to attack transportation networks or other
"dual use" assets vital to the civilian economy. I've seen no reports that
power plants or bridges were bombed nor harbors mined. This was a very
specific campaign focused on Georgia's military assets. That the Americans
can easily replace them in short order the Russians know. That isn't the
point. A  broader campaign aimed at infrastructure would have a longer
effect in terms of Georgia's capacity to wage war against Russia. But
Georgia's capacity to wage war against Russia is nil in any case. This was
not an effort to make it harder or impossible for a re-armed Georgia to
launch another adventure in two or three years. The message was, the
Americans may give you their toys, but they will never defend you because
they can't. Here. Look at this base they built for you. Watch us blow it up.
Look at us turn their tanks and artillery and computers and radios into
scrap.

Russia's final message came via Condy Rice. After bloviating all sorts of
empty threats against Russia for a week, she came on a mission Friday two
days ago and told Saakashvili he had to sign his acceptance of
Russian-dictated surrender terms, which specifically legalized and
authorized Russia's trashing of Georgia's military bases and equipment and
specifically opened the question of the future status of Georgia's two
"breakaway" provinces. It was a five-hour meeting, and Saakashvili
eventually capitulated.

Putin must have had a good laugh listening to Condy's empty rhetoric in
defense of Georgia's "territorial integrity" in the press conference she
held minutes after forcing the president of that country to sign surrender
terms that officially renounced it.

The truth is, the "West" has no leverage with Russia. An economic blockade
would only mean Europe depriving itself of Russia's petroleum and gas. The
agreement to deploy a "star wars" missile shield in Russia would be more
convincing if the technology actually WORKED -- which it doesn't -- and if
Russia didn't have the option to nuke Western Europe and the United States
with missiles launches from thousands of miles away in Asia, way outside the
range of any possible Polish shield, which it does. In a million and one
ways the "West" has refused Russia's request to be admitted into the
imperialist club, so even the "threat" to throw it out of the G8 or block
its joining other "multilateral" institutions are devoid of substance. 

Turning every last piece of US military equipment the Georgians have into
scrap metal is Putin's way of reminding Bush that he can STILL nuke the U.S.
back to the stone age, which is WHY the U.S. not only has to stand by and
see its Georgian ally humiliated, but actually serve as Moscow's courier
service in bringing the message that Saakashvili has NO CHOICE but to
capitulate to Moscow-dictated surrender terms. 

The stuff about "damaging long term relations" and promises of "a new cold
war" are empty threats from Russia's perspectives. From where Putin sits,
the old cold war never ended. Georgia turned out to be Russia's way of
telling the Americans that from now on, this continuation of the cold war
wouldn't be as one-sided as it had been for the last fifteen years, that
Russia was through begging and retreating. 

Joaquin