Moldova next on Putin's plate

[dead0man]

link

You must be logged in to read this quote.

"peacekeepers" no doubt.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

I'm sure our Putin Pals will be here shortly to give us the Russian spin.

[minionofmidas]

As your own article makes abundantly clear, the difference (not the only difference) is that Voronin is no Saakashvili.

The parallels were starkly evident enough that the government of Transnistria immediately demanded a clear Moldovan condemnation of Georgia's behavior and threatened to pull out of negotiations otherwise. This is before Russian troops entered Georgian soil.

Don't ask me why that corner of the world was tacked onto Moldova back in 1945. It makes no sense. It should have been in Ukraine.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

This one is more complicated since the Ukraine is in between, and their government isn't so friendly towards Putin.

[GMantis]

As your own article makes abundantly clear, the difference (not the only difference) is that Voronin is no Saakashvili.

The parallels were starkly evident enough that the government of Transnistria immediately demanded a clear Moldovan condemnation of Georgia's behavior and threatened to pull out of negotiations otherwise. This is before Russian troops entered Georgian soil.

The Moldovans have behaved very cautiously for the last month. They remained mostly neutral on the war and issued a very mild rebuke on the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It appears that Russia a stick and carrot approach with them: threaten them with Georgia's fate if they follow Georgia's actions and help them resolve the conflict with Transnistria if they "behave". And Russia seems to be willing to do the later:
http://www.moldpres.md/default.asp?Lang=en&ID=93778

Don't ask me why that corner of the world was tacked onto Moldova back in 1945. It makes no sense. It should have been in Ukraine.

When the Moldavian ASSR (from which Transnistria is descended) was founded, it probably had a Moldovan majority:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moldavian_ASSR
But over the decades, Russians and Ukrainians imigrated (like everywhere else in the Soviet Union) until they became the majority.

[minionofmidas]

So the then Moldovan ASSR had a slavic majority, but as parts of it are now in Ukraine, and these were the more Slavic parts... okay, I get it.

[dead0man]

This is before Russian troops entered Georgian soil.

Russian "peacekeepers" have been on Georgian soil since at least 1995.  cite

You must be logged in to read this quote.

I'm sure Putin's Pals will spin this too.  Everything is Bush's fault.  Even Russian "peacekeepers" in 1995.

[minionofmidas]

This is before Russian troops entered Georgian soil.

Russian "peacekeepers" have been on Georgian soil since at least 1995. 

I think you know what I meant. (1993, IIRC.)

cite

You must be logged in to read this quote.

This is biasedly worded, but certainly true.

But note they certainly *came* as peacekeepers.

[dead0man]

Like Americans to Vietnam in 1963.  When is Putin's Tonkin?

edit-maybe we're in the middle of it right now?

[minionofmidas]

Like Americans to Vietnam in 1963.

No.

"Like Brits to Northern Ireland in 1969" might be a better example. "Like Turks to Cyprus in 1974" might do as well, I suppose.

[dead0man]

Yeah, I guess we would need a border or something for the analogy to really fit.  It's too bad America doesn't go around occupying their neighbors all the time.  I guess we aren't as evil as some think.

[minionofmidas]

Although there's the slight issue of this happening within the framework of the Soviet Union breakup. Can't think of an exact parallel right now, beyond slightly ridiculous ones like the continued English occupation of forts in the American northwest post-1783.

Yeah, I guess we would need a border or something for the analogy to really fit.  It's too bad America doesn't go around occupying their neighbors all the time.  I guess we aren't as evil as some think.

No, what you'd need is a legitimate interest.

[dead0man]

Cuba?  We did hit Grenada and Panama in the last 20 years, but we left after we accomplished the mission.

[GMantis]

Cuba?  We did hit Grenada and Panama in the last 20 years, but we left after we accomplished the mission.

Cuba you still haven't left and probably won't for a very long time. And considering the US rarely leaves the places it occupies (and when they do leave, they make sure there is a good puppet government behind them), it's quite hypocritical to accuse the Russians of this. Not that charges of hypocrisy have stopped you before...

It's too bad America doesn't go around occupying their neighbors all the time. 

No, the US goes and occupies countries on the other side of the world - the American way life is so good that it must be brought to as many countries as possible.

[GMantis]

And, dead0man, try at least to keep your sources a little neutral. This is basicaly the reading of a document made by the Georgian parliament, with a commentary by a author noted for his pro-Moldovian hawkishness, working for a prominent anti-Russian foundation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Socor
It would be similar to me posting a resolution of the Russian parliament, commented by a strongly pro-Putin author.

[dead0man]

Do you disagree with the statements in it, or just where it's from?

[GMantis]

Do you disagree with the statements in it, or just where it's from?

I'm not that well acquainted, but most of it is probably true. Of course, it's probably exaggerated in places and the conclusions suit the Georgian side a bit too well. And of course there are things that are blatantly untrue, like Russia sending leaders in Ossetia and Abkhazia.