Urge the Obama Administration to end its brinksmanship in Georgia and throughout the former Soviet Union and ask them to cancel NATO military exercises scheduled to Start this week. (May 6, 2009).
The Bush Administration, and now the Obama Administration have been quietly waging an intense Proxy war with Russia over Georgia. The situation has intensified over the past few weeks, so much so that another crisis is looming - a crisis worse than the Georgia-Russia war that took place in the Fall of 2008. A new war could begin at anytime.
While the Obama Administration and mainstream U.S. media have been keeping the American public distracted with overblown sensationalized reports about Swine Flu, Tea Parties, how Obama greeted the Saudi King, and torture memos, the situation in the Caucasus has deteriorated. Russian troops have dramatically increased their presence along its disputed border with Georgia, particularly in South Ossetia, bringing in more armored vehicles and other equipment.
Russia is upset about continued U.S. meddling in its conflict with Georgia and Georgia's ambitions to join NATO (which would be a huge mistake). Russia was also upset about NATO exercises that were to take place throughout the Month of May. Despite the fact that Georgia is practically a war zone, and despite warnings from Russia not to proceed, the Obama Administration and NATO, in an act of irresponsible brinksmanship, decided to push ahead with the war games anyway. That decision upped the anty in an already volatile situation and led Russia to take even further steps...steps that risk a wider conflict. In the past couple of weeks, Russia has sent even more troops to its border with Georgia.
The U.S. presence in Georgia has been destabilizing. In fact, there is both military and political instability and unrest in Georgia. And now it appears that the Obama Administrations brinksmanship has only made matters worse there. There are now reports coming in of a possible Russian backed military coup taking place. It was beyond reckless for the Obama Administration to push ahead with military exercises in that kind of political and military environment. Now he is creating another crisis to add to the long list that he already has, particularly here at home.
Obama's aggressive approach in Georgia does not represent the kind of change on the international front that he promised. It is a carryover of shortsighted and dangerous Bush era foreign policy. This is more of the same Cowboy diplomacy, not smart power. In terms of foreign policy, the Obama Administration is saying one thing and doing another. On one hand Obama claims that he wants to be an advocate for diplomacy and wants a fresh start with other nations, especially Russia; yet he has been pushing a dangerous policy in Georgia that says otherwise. He is embracing the same interventionism and aggressive brinksmanship of the past. Flexing military muscle in Georgia is not in line with Obama's publicly stated foreign policy goals.
It's as if the Obama Administration does not have enough crisis to deal with. We have 2 wars that we can't seem to extract ourselves from, as well as serious challenges here at home. Yet Obama seems to be pushing for another crisis. It makes no sense.
The Obama Administration is engaged in a fierce Cold War battle with Russia for control of Georgia. But Obama has not yet explained to the American public why he is willing to drag the nation into another conflict, risk our economic health here at home in a time of crisis, risk the recovery, and damage more important international relationships. This Cold War fiasco (which could turn into a hot war or full blown crisis in the next few days or next few hours) is not a priority for the American public at this delicate time. Most Americans are concerned with their economic well being, the condition of the banking system, if they can pay their rent, if they will keep their jobs, etc. They don't need another crisis, especially a crisis that risks erasing what little gains we have made over the past few months.
Obama has apparently turned this issue over to his Neo-Con Lite foreign policy team led by Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates. As a result, we have a looming crisis in Georgia. Obama's attempt to prop up an unpopular, unstable government in Georgia is backfiring and is now morphing into another potential conflict. I can't help but to wonder what Hillary Clinton was really attempting to do with the "reset button" ploy. Clearly this was a photo op that really didn't mean anything. And I knew the fact that she got it wrong was an omen of how bad her foreign policy was going to be.
Please reach out to the Obama Administration and urge them to change policy regarding Georgia and the former Soviet Union. Flexing military muscle against Russia is not the answer. Playing a dangerous game of brinksmanship in an already unstable Country has only led to more instability. When will they learn that war cannot always bring stability and is not the answer in the Caucasus? When will the Obama Administration realize that war is not the answer at all for dealing with most international conflicts? U.S. meddling in Georgia and its instigating between Georgia & Russia has only made matters worse for that Country's U.S. backed President. And now the Obama Administration has helped to create the conditions for another military conflict in the region.
This is not the change that I voted for.
Urge the Obama Administration to end its Brinksmanship Diplomacy in Georgia before the situation there deteriorates even further and we dig ourselves a hole that we won't be able to get ourselves out of. The Cowboy diplomacy is not working... the meddling in Georgia and instigating conflict between Georgia and its neighbors has not worked.
Urge Obama to push for the Cancellation of NATO military exercises (which have no business whatsoever taking place in a warzone and in a Country with ongoing political unrest).
Please pay attention to what's going on regarding this issue! The U.S. was sucked into Iraq because citizens fell asleep at the wheel.
(I know it's not as exciting to many of you as torture memos, potential Supreme Court nominees, the economy, etc... But it's an important issue that pro-peace Progressives should be keeping an eye on)
Additional Links
Media silent on Brewing Crisis
Exercises Could Spark Russian conflict with NATO
NATO exercises destabilizing Georgia and the region
More on Russian Military Build-up
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Bonus:
Right Wing Talk Show Hosts Still Pushing Story that Obama is Not a U.S. Citizen - Hear audio from Republican Spokesman Bill Cunningham.