>seriously most Americans don't give two shits about Russia anymore
Which is perhaps why desperate Republicans didn't think anything of engineering a crisis on the *one* issue (foreign policy) McCain has consistently polled ahead of Obama on (by up to 20 points). Yet just like with Iraq (Scheunemann miscalculated there as well, if you read the resume link) they underplayed the consequences
And now Putin has served check mate, and it is a crisis. I don't think Bush was anticipating the tanks moving towards Tblisi, at that volley ball game
― Vichitravirya_XI, Thursday, 14 August 2008 21:17 (fifteen years ago) link
Bush is probably drunk 24/7 these days, I doubt he's anticipating much of anything
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 14 August 2008 21:17 (fifteen years ago) link
Or maybe this was partially stage-managed by the Russians? Whatever the case, for this to start at the beginning of the Olympics is no coincidence
x-post Bush is probably drunk in anticipation that he'll get to go back to the ranch after all these years of being center-stage
― Vichitravirya_XI, Thursday, 14 August 2008 21:20 (fifteen years ago) link
These conspiracy theories ... it's like the US has become Israel all of a sudden
― Ismael Klata, Thursday, 14 August 2008 21:22 (fifteen years ago) link
so russia is "moving around" in georgia. anyone think they're planning an occupation of the whole country? or are they just trying to pull the "irregulars" into line, to stop future flare-ups? (like they say)?
still kinda shook
― jeremy waters, Thursday, 14 August 2008 22:04 (fifteen years ago) link
It's getting colder out there: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080814/pl_nm/shield_poland_dc
U.S. and Poland sign missile shield deal
WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland finally agreed on Thursday to host elements of U.S. global anti-missile system on its territory after Washington improved the terms of the deal amid the Georgia crisis.
---
RUSSIA VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED
If everything goes to schedule, the interceptor base would be ready by around 2012, officials have said. The Czechs have already signed an agreement to host the radar although parliament there must ratify it.
Russia has vehemently opposed placing the shield installations in central Europe, saying they would threaten its security and upset the post-Cold War balance of power in Europe.
Washington reiterated on Thursday this was not the case.
"In no way is the (U.S.) president's plan for missile defense aimed at Russia," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. "The purpose of missile defense is to protect our European allies from any rogue threats."
Moscow has threatened to take retaliatory steps against Poland and the Czech Republic, its former reluctant vassals who are now part of the European Union and NATO.
"rare success"
Russia has also been angered by Poland's strong verbal support for Georgia.
The shield deal, if approved by parliaments in Prague and Warsaw, will be a rare success for President George W. Bush who has argued it is essential to contain the threat of a potentially nuclear-armed Iran.
Washington hopes the shield might persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear program, although Teheran says it wants to develop nuclear energy only to generate electricity and not to make nuclear weapons.
― Vichitravirya_XI, Thursday, 14 August 2008 22:29 (fifteen years ago) link
Not sure how this snuck into the press, but one of my (reliable) friends reported reading in a story today that a Russian regular army soldier - a Chechen, in fact - said that his unit had been in South Ossetia for months (i.e. Russia had planned for this eventuality).
― mitya, Friday, 15 August 2008 17:38 (fifteen years ago) link
http://osinform.ru/foto/7787-vojjna-v-juzhnojj-osetii-89-fotografijj.html
― Catsupppppppppppppp dude 茄蕃, Tuesday, 19 August 2008 17:29 (fifteen years ago) link
Thanks. Some of those are none too pretty. Funny how you can know how that's what war's all about, but not really think of 'til you see the pictures
― Ismael Klata, Tuesday, 19 August 2008 17:36 (fifteen years ago) link
Kremlin announces that South Ossetia will join 'one united Russian state' says the Times. It's pretty brazen stuff now by Russia. The backstory seems to be shifting slightly day by day too, so that what initially seemed a crazy gamble by Saakashvili now looks more like a last-ditch attempt to pre-empt an imminent invasion that was going to happen anyway - exactly what Mitya said three posts above
― Ismael Klata, Friday, 29 August 2008 22:03 (fifteen years ago) link
saakashvili met this girl at the vancouver olympics and made her the georgian economy minister! she was in my grad class!
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/georgian-minister-rues-nightclub-photo/
― symsymsym, Friday, 30 July 2010 06:16 (thirteen years ago) link
╔══════════════ ೋღ☃ღೋ ══════════════╗~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Repost this if ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ you are a beautiful strong black woman ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ who don’t need no man ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~╚══════════════ ೋღ☃ღೋ ══════════════╝
― jaxon, Wednesday, 5 October 2011 04:13 (18 hours ago)
― diouf est le papa du foot galsen merde lè haters (nakhchivan), Wednesday, 5 October 2011 21:25 (twelve years ago) link
Uhhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYHLHTUSwU0
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Friday, 5 October 2012 17:15 (eleven years ago) link
^^ that is Ivanishvili's son rapping about (I think) Georgian Dream, his eccentric billionaire father's political movement.
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Friday, 5 October 2012 17:17 (eleven years ago) link
Not sure what to make of Georgian Dream. Saakashvili is fairly widely discredited but Ivanishvili's alliance seems to be held together by little more than his personality / cash.
― Go Narine, Go! (ShariVari), Friday, 5 October 2012 17:29 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah, shit is bananas over there. I heard something about a horrible prison rape scandal, but haven't read much about it.
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Friday, 5 October 2012 17:34 (eleven years ago) link
opening chords sound like "Bye Bye Bye"
― gesange der yuengling (crüt), Friday, 5 October 2012 17:35 (eleven years ago) link
His lipgloss is something else. Apparently there is a Saakashvili supported rapper who Bera has beefed with publicly.
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Friday, 5 October 2012 17:39 (eleven years ago) link
Kakha Kaladze appears to be Deputy Prime Minister now!
― Go Narine, Go! (ShariVari), Tuesday, 9 October 2012 04:16 (eleven years ago) link
Wow. Apparently they're going with the "invite all the cool kids to the party" approach?
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Tuesday, 9 October 2012 12:23 (eleven years ago) link
There appears to have been a coup / revolution, of sorts, in Abkhazia. Protesters have taken over government buildings, the President has fled and the government has resigned. It's not entirely clear what their objective is at the moment.
― Yuri Bashment (ShariVari), Wednesday, 28 May 2014 11:19 (ten years ago) link
Twitter now being used for pass-agg diplomacy:
Carl Bildt@carlbildt
If @PrimeMinisterGE does not want to listen to the best friends of his country in EU that’s his choice. We take note. @LinkeviciusL
Bildt - Swedish Foreign MinisterPrimeMinisterGE - PM of GeorgiaLinkevicius - Lithuanian Foreign Minister
― Wristy Hurlington (ShariVari), Friday, 8 August 2014 12:58 (nine years ago) link
Context: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/08/07/saakashvili_doesnt_need_a_little_help_from_his_friends
― Wristy Hurlington (ShariVari), Friday, 8 August 2014 13:00 (nine years ago) link
წყლის ჭავლი pic.twitter.com/0BOZzjYtHc— Rezo 🇬🇪 (@RezoBear) March 7, 2023
― Tow Law City (cherry blossom), Tuesday, 7 March 2023 18:35 (one year ago) link
The first inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh have reached Armenia. Nearly the entirety of the population - 120,000 people - are expected to leave the territory as Azerbaijan takes control. https://t.co/ok1Wz2JLeb— Neil Hauer (@NeilPHauer) September 24, 2023
― xyzzzz__, Sunday, 24 September 2023 18:56 (eight months ago) link
The President of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), Samvel Shahramanyan, has signed a degree on its dissolution, effective immediately. The Republic is no more. https://t.co/pyIszJ8tBU— Neil Hauer (@NeilPHauer) September 28, 2023
― xyzzzz__, Thursday, 28 September 2023 08:53 (eight months ago) link
auto-correct doesn't know about decrees?
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Thursday, 28 September 2023 17:27 (eight months ago) link
That's right. Knowing how to spell doesn't make you less of a shit.
― xyzzzz__, Thursday, 28 September 2023 20:54 (eight months ago) link
grumpy much today, xyzzzz?
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Thursday, 28 September 2023 20:56 (eight months ago) link
Spare us the posts where you feel you are "hated" by some on here, or you made to feel "less than human".
That's all I'll say.
― xyzzzz__, Friday, 29 September 2023 10:46 (eight months ago) link
Protests escalating again
― anvil, Wednesday, 1 May 2024 20:37 (one month ago) link
HappeningNow: #Tbilisi’s main avenue is packed with tens of thousands of people protesting against the #RussianLaw.People keep coming irrespective of tear gas and rubber bullets.#NoToOligarch #Ivanishvili pic.twitter.com/MPghQQKdQS— Giorgi Oniani (@OnianiG) May 1, 2024
― anvil, Wednesday, 1 May 2024 20:45 (one month ago) link
This is Tbilisi. Heart of Europe. 10:25 pic.twitter.com/vciUS2gyeq— Nodar Rukhadze (@xonoda) May 2, 2024
A lot of conflicting reports on just how big these crowds are but certainly appear to be growing
― anvil, Thursday, 2 May 2024 19:57 (one month ago) link
Fascinating to see!
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 2 May 2024 20:02 (one month ago) link
Yeah, good for them... hope it's not another Belarus situation
― Andy the Grasshopper, Thursday, 2 May 2024 20:15 (one month ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5lEcJCJec0
Further footage here
― anvil, Friday, 3 May 2024 01:35 (one month ago) link
Has something of a Maidan feel, with the arrival of Titushky as well, though so far small in number
― anvil, Friday, 3 May 2024 01:39 (one month ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB1S7d91fLk
― anvil, Friday, 3 May 2024 19:34 (one month ago) link
Starting to look like Maidan
― anvil, Saturday, 11 May 2024 09:12 (one month ago) link
Chichinadze street side of the parliament right now. Police pushed people here and stopped for now. pic.twitter.com/bRJ853bcKk— Mariam Nikuradze (@mari_nikuradze) May 13, 2024
― anvil, Tuesday, 14 May 2024 08:21 (one month ago) link
What foreigners and the Vake/youth liberal bubble needs to understand is this:YES. Most (but not all) of the country is on their side on the Russian lawYES. 80%+ are pro-EUYES. Almost everyone hates RussiaBUT....🧵 https://t.co/2Zb6PqIqYO— Alex Scrivener - ალეკო სკრივენერი (@alscriv) May 17, 2024
Not exactly a counter-argument as such, but could be a broader picture on where the Georgian public as a whole is right, now. b
― anvil, Saturday, 18 May 2024 08:33 (one month ago) link
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GOW5WWaXUAIWbxJ?format=jpg&name=large
― anvil, Friday, 24 May 2024 21:07 (three weeks ago) link
not backing down
― Andy the Grasshopper, Friday, 24 May 2024 21:15 (three weeks ago) link