The Rise of the Putin Doctrine

THIS ARTICLE STARTED VERY WELL, BUT AS USUAL IT FELL APART IN THE END. GEORGIA WAS ALWAYS MOTHER RUSSIA. AS YOU PROBABLY NENER THOUGHT THAT GRUZIA IS RUSSIA. WE IN THE WEST INVENT NAMES FOR COUNTRIES AND THINGS , BECAUSE WE ARE POOR LISTENERS AND IGNORANT FOOLS. IT IS FOOTBALL SOCCER THING.

Those damn Russians! When they were weak during the 90's we were able to step all over them, humiliate and isolate them. Now they are stronger they are demanding that we start respecting their border? We are not even allowed to build missile defence system on their borders, not even a bit of support for ethnic cleansing of their citizens?
The biggest challange is how can our punishment of Russia differ from the usual treatment they receive from us?
They need to respect Ukraine sovereignity, of course it was ok for US to buy the election and put in a presendent that would fight Russian interests. And now, just because the majority of Ukraine does not want to be a part of NATOs crusade against Russia, this is is supposed to stop the Ukrainian government? I hope not, be paid good money for that government!

"The first bites were taken by Catherine the Great, annexation was completed by Aleksandr II in 1864 and, after three years of independence, Georgia was grabbed by the Bolsheviks in 1921". Why make such analogies? Russia does not want to bite off anything from Georgia. She wants to protect the Ossetians and Abkhazians from genocide since Saakashvili declared the slogan "Georgia for Georgians." There is no need to lie.
"Those who have chastised Saakashvili for tweaking the bear are also pleading clemency for Putin. They invoke Russia's humiliation in the cold war, the loss of its empire (14 out of 15 republics chose independence)". This is also not true. Since not 14 republics separated from Russia but the Soviet Union disintegrated in 15 independent nations, including Russia itself. Feel the difference? Russia does not pretend to any of these states including Azerbaijan and Ukraine. There is no need to frighten.
Article shows that the author did not understand the subject. It merely introduces readers to deceive. No need to pay attention to it.

"The first bites were taken by Catherine the Great, annexation was completed by Aleksandr II in 1864 and, after three years of independence, Georgia was grabbed by the Bolsheviks in 1921". Why make such analogies? Russia does not want to bite off anything from Georgia. She wants to protect the Ossetians and Abkhazians from genocide since Saakashvili declared the slogan "Georgia for Georgians." There is no need to lie.
"Those who have chastised Saakashvili for tweaking the bear are also pleading clemency for Putin. They invoke Russia's humiliation in the cold war, the loss of its empire (14 out of 15 republics chose independence)". This is also not true. Since not 14 republics separated from Russia but the Soviet Union disintegrated in 15 independent nations, including Russia itself. Feel the difference? Russia does not pretend to any of these states including Azerbaijan and Ukraine. There is no need to frighten.
Article shows that the author did not understand the subject. It merely introduces readers to deceive. No need to pay attention to it.

1. " ... and tanks to reconquer what he claims is rightfully his". When Putin used the tanks? This was not.
2. " ... Saakashvili is not the main culprit, but Russia's prime minister, Vladimir Putin. It began not on Aug. 8, but in July???with a vast military exercise, "Caucasus 2008," as dress rehearsal for the invasion". The strange logic. So all the military exercises are preparing for the invasion? Is it not better to honestly say that the invasion committed Saakashvili with the support of uncle Sam?

Bravo, Mr. Joffe. You deserve a Pulitzer for your very concise and extremely to-the-point comments. There is nothing to add, just send your piece to Putin-appeasers, who seem getting a lot of space today, including Newsweek.

B

There is an interesting suggestion from Steve Levine. The Russians have a big weakness. The West should keep in mind Russia's Achilles Heel while dealing with Putin and Medvedev. Levine knows this area, having covered wars in Chechnya, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Tajikistan as well as the Soviet-Afghan war: http://oilandglory.com/2008/08/russias-achilles-heel.html

Mr. Joffe's description of Putin's Doctrine is a tapestry of patches from the Russian czars, to Gorbachev,
to Bolsheviks, to Angela Merkel, to Putin that is just an amorphous mosaic of thoughts that tastes more like a rotten Russian salad than a political commentary.

Sure, Putin bashing is popular these days, but every historical period had its own. I don't see how a quotation from Aleksandr III about his army -just horsemen, like cowboys in our West, can be used to as a base to describe today's Russian military, nor can I see how Aleksandr's navy - a few wooden boats, easily sunk by the Ottoman Turks in the battle of Crimea, can be a part of a description of the present Georgian-Russian conflict. I feel that Mr. Joffe took a few rags from the czarist Russian era and tried to stitch them into a flying carpet with Putin as the rider.

That certainly not the picture any other expert has seen looking at the Georgian-Russian conflict, and any
analogy of the Russian response to Georgia's bombing and invasion of Tskhinvali under U.S. tutelage, or
any exception of the precedent the U.S. had set in Kosovo in relation to the aspiration of independence by
South Ossetia and Abkhazia is just rubbish. Everywhere George Bush traveled he was met by massive anti-American protests, but in Albania he was greeted with hugs and kisses by Albanians that with U.S. help carved Kosovo out of Serbia. And Serbs had shed torrents of blood to liberate Kosovo from Ottoman Turks, as Russian had shed torrents of blood to liberate Georgia -a Christian country as Russia- from Ottoman Turks as well. Mr. Joffe can pick and choose anything he wants to mud-sling Putin, but his
monotone and archaic pieces surely offend the intelligence of the readers.

Does Putin have a doctrine? Yes, and he has been clear on that: "The U.S. policy of determining all the
global issues unilaterally is hopeless," on quote. And the U.S. hopelessness to have any impact on the
events in Georgia -other than yapping like a jackal to scare a Russian bear- certainly doesn't seat well with
Mr.Joffe. Nikos Retsos, retired academic

- The madam Smith, at you a happy family?
- About yes! At me four sons and the fine husband!
- and where they now? - My younger John, - in Iraq, the Second son Mike, - in Afgane the Third son Bill in Kosovo now Well and senior Peter gathers to Iran.
- and where your husband?
- Travels all over the world with lectures: How to stop Russian from intrusion into other countries.

Michael Grusha Hamburg Germany

Mass-media TODAY: - the American minister has threatened membership of Russia in G8
- the USA: the Olympic Games have not made China more open

Russia And China SHOULD RESIST TOGETHER to IMPUDENCE, LIE, HYPOCRISY And DOUBLE STANDARDS of America! Russia ITSELF SHOULD LEAVE G8, IMF to WITHDRAW DOCUMENTS From the WTO And to CREATE With China, India, Brazil Etc. - OTHER ORGANIZATION, WITHOUT the AMERICAN BLACKMAIL And LIE!

I'm sorry, I can't see any scientific points in this article. No language, no logic. Just pure ideology.

Is this Newsweek or Commentary Magazine?

I do not see a doctrine here, I see anti-slavic diatribe from a Stanford type, and a jab at an Ivy League Bush at the end.
Neo Con fronts and apologists for their acts no longer sell at full value. The west has poked a sleeping bear and stolen cubs until momma came out of the cave and mauled an interloper. Bushes puppet fired MLRS systems into cheap Soviet apartment blocks slaughtering civilians in their sleep. Can't gloss over murderous thug. There was also an attack near Sochi, you might not have looked into that, but Russians were killed on theri own soil. This is beyond the breakaway republics, Saakashvili had Russians murdered on their own beach. Ivan looks like he is digging in and taking away the port neares where he was attacked, likely by a swim team.
You keep on twisting for an expansion of difficulties. This is agitpropaganda. It is easy to sell the bear as boogieman. Smart would be extracting as much butt as we an from the fire now. We should also decide how much we are willing to do for and about oil.

Let's see. The Soviet Union is peacefully dissolved without a shot fired. Russia withdraws all military from Eastern Europe including Georgia(1 year early). Nato expands to Russia's borders in spite of promises not too, USA plans anti-missile site in Poland, USA bombs Serbia for 78 days. NATO invades Iraq and Afghanistan. A US installed madman levels South Ossetia on the opening day of the olympics hours after proclaiming a cease fire on TV. Russia counterattacks and drives into Georgia proper to dismantle any future attacking potential of Georgia. Russia is the aggressor? War-mongering neocon driven USA is the aggressor.