|
Russia's not just defending Ossetia out of the goodness of its heart. It's saying something important, and not just to NATO.
Russia's claimed protectorship over Russians. Many Russians live in the Baltics. The Baltics and Russia have had fallings out over a lack of respect.
When Ukraine made loud noises over having the Baltic Fleet deposit 9k Russians who just happened to be ready to go to Abkhazia, Russia said they weren't honoring their agreements, and weren't showing respect.
Putin's said that Georgia must learn respect.
Did I mention that Russia meddled far more than the US in the "Orange Revolution" and there are millions of Russians who would prefer to be under Russia? They don't like the lesser khokhly--"Ukrainians", just as "wops" are "Italians"--in charge. It's wrong. And the only reason there's a majority of Ukrainians is, well, because the USSR grabbed ethnically Ukrainian lands to "liberate" them--and then loot and oppress them, making them an untrusted backwater.
Russia's also said they don't want hostile or problematic countries on their borders. "Problematic" often means "not doing as we want and being respectful."
Poland has a border with Russia, as a result of a Russian landgrab after WWII. One that nobody could undo post-1991, because the local population was cleansed.
Russia's ally, Lukashenka, has made "nice" by Poles living in Belorus'--part of Belorus' that used to be Poland, until Stalin demanded rewriting the borders and displacing a few million Germans and Poles as punishment for them and a reward for himself--by beating them up, closing their newspapers, and generally making their lives shitty. Russia's response? Eh. Poles. Georgians in Moscow got the same treatment in the '90s.
Some is ceremonial. In 2004 for VE day celebrations the German partisans fighting Hitler were praised. The Polish partisans didn't exist. Poland was merely passive and entirely owed their prosperity and liberty to Russia. Of course, the partition of Poland by Stalin wasn't at issue, either--often denied. The loss of monuments expressing undying gratitude to Soviet/Russian soldiers in war memorials--down to having "unknown soldiers" in most countries be Russians, "consecrating" Estonian, Czech, etc., territory with "Russian blood"--was humiliating to the Russians. Recently Medvedev spoke to a Russian veteran's group praising them for their service and demanding respect for them. "Respect." Ah.
Film was just released by a man in the Czech Republic showing strafing runs in Prague, tanks, and Russian troops generally treating Czechs as they're treating Georgians. With the same kind of disrespectful vocabulary: "We're in charge, you have to learn our place, we want stability, we're defending our legitimate interests, we're defending a faithful ally, we're just responding to attacks and unrest." Respect goes one way for chauvinists.
Trans-Dnistria is a replica of S. Ossetia. Right down to this year's being "S. Ossetian Year of Trans-Dniestria", according to banners still flying in and around Tskhinvali. Banners that I could only read in the photos because they were entirely in Russian. Trans-Dniestra is isolated, wedged between Moldova and Ukraine. Ukrainian or Moldovan action to regularize Trans-Dniestra's status would be interesting. Without it, most of the Moldovan/Ukrainian border is disrupted or potentially disrupted. As with Ossetia, there's a 3-part security force. As with Ossetia, should Russia decide to ignore the agreement, not much would happen--people don't care. There are about 30% ethnic Russians there for Russia to defend. As with S. Ossetia and Abkhazia, people have trouble entering and leaving; but there's a very active smuggling enterprise, largely in the hands of Russians. It's listed as "not free". Really only recognized by Russia, at a moment's notice 10k Russian troops could be flown in to "stabilize" Moldova, even if Ukraine were to be passive. Fortunately, there's no tunnel connecting Russia to Trans-Dnistria. Otherwise who knows if TD would have been the test case or not?
Russia's used its economic might against the Baltics, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, and W. Europe. Trains, for example. Oil and gas pipelines are also important. And it's used its proximity and some fear to get Central Asia in line. By cowing Georgia and exerting some control over the pipeline there, it makes both Europe and Central Asia more Russia-dependent.
Russian oil companies aren't private. They're not public. They're as many companies were in Central Europe in the 1930s: They're officially private, but with a Big Man relaying government orders to the nominal owners, with the threat of new ownership if the nominal owners balk. Many of the Big Men came from the security forces; are all Putin's allies. Most are nationalists--that can be ethnic, Soviet, economic, or merely military nationalists (or any combination of the above). They agree that the collapse of the Soviet Union was the greatest tragedy of the 20th century (for some, that's a minimum: Many see it as the greatest tragedy in many centuries).
Enough?
Well, then there are the centuries of Russian oppression and domination. You know how there's anti-Americanism because of coups and occasional odd invasions in Central/South America? Consider Cuba's constant "we're about to be invaded" mantra as an example.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
