Watching the the Georgian president on News few min ago, screaming for western help , i was thinking : with all his studies in west, he is dumb and naive if was planing to urinate on Russia's backyard, without getting punished . Was he expecting for USA to nuke Moscow and save his office?
Its more complicated then that. Georgia is sitting right in the middle of the highway of possibly the largest untapped energy reserve left on the planet.
We need the energy reserves. Most of all Europe needs them, but all of us do.
To allow the latest exuse of a Russian strongman Govt. to gain a stranglehold on the tap is really to allow them to hold us by the short hairs. Wars have been fought for less. And there is no way America and Europe should leave Georgia to its own fate. Nor will we. The march towards full NATO membership, and weapons sales, will, if anything, only be quickened. Russia also cant afford a major conflict with NATO because theres no way they could win it.
But there is a real possibility for a major conflict here in the future. Heres a primer for what is really at stake.
http://europe.theoildrum.com/story/2006/11/18/102426/08NATO might decide that a Russian take over of the Caspian energy pipeline is equivelant to a hostile takeover of the energy reserves in the Middle East. If that happens then there very likely will be a major conflict.
Now think like a Russian chess player. Do you see what this is all about now?