Fighting in Georgia

[Gomai]

Good afternoon all.

Let me post what I hope can start some good discussion here. I've been trying to keep up on what's going on between Georgia and Russia, but one aspect of the conflict I could use some help researching is what's been going on in Georgia in the last few months? Seriously, did they NOT expect something like this to happen? If anyone has ever been to Georgia personally, what did you think of the region and the people there?

Thanks for any thoughts you've got!

[Cybrludite]

The Georgians have been expecting something like this for a while. The Russians have been arming the South Ossetian seperatist groups, and encouraging them to attack Georgia. The seperatists have been lobbing 122mm artillery shells into Georgia for months now. Then, when the Georgians hit back, the Russians just happened to have a tank brigade on hand & ready to go on the offensive with massive air support within 24 hours. Despite Russia's post-Cold War levels of military readiness. Then there's the fact that the Black Sea Fleet sortied before the Georgians made their move. Perhaps they've got Miss Cleo on the Admiral's G-2 staff, though I'm more inclined to believe the Russians had been planning to hit Georgia regardless of what they did.

[Netpackrat]

I think that given the premise that there are really no good guys in this situation, aside from the civilians that are unlucky enough to be in the way, that we ought to be approaching this not from the standpoint of whether Russia is right or wrong, but what sort of advantage that WE as a nation can take from this.

[Kommander]

The government of Georgia might be a bunch of assholes, but this bodes ill for countries like Ukraine and Poland. When the invasion started I dug out my copy of "The Worlds Most Dangerous Places" and read the section on Georgia. Though published in 2002 the author makes it quite clear that the Russians want Georgia back and will eventual take steps to do so. He goes on to state that the must likely Casus belli would be something resulting in a Russian "intervention" into South Ossetia. For many people this attack was not a surprise, and there is likely much more to come.

[Netpackrat]

"Cause if there's one thing I know, it's that you never mess with Mother Nature, mother-in-laws, or mother-fucking Ukrainians."
--Skinny Pete, The Italian Job (2003)