Tell that to Georgia.

They specifically stoked the situation having the ossetians break the treaty so the georgians would have to respond... providing a valid excuse for Russia to invade destablize their government and undermine a president who wouldn't take their bribes like other nations.

It is pretty shitty to unilatterly back out of this when Poland and Czech have a lot more to lose.

Russia in general causes a lot of problems for it's local neighbors.  They just go unreported in the western media.

In general Russia is heavily influencing, bribing, and sometimes even toppling local governments on a scale and directness that would even make the USA blush... it's actually fairly well documented if you look for it though according to international groups.

In general they basically want free reign over their old sphere of USSR influence... pretty much a slightly less harsh USSR... for now.

Don't be too surprised if Georgia ends up invaded again... then it'll be on to the next country.

Oh... and what the US got out of it was Russia's promise to help stop Iran from going nuclear.

Or at least stop helping them to go Nuclear.

Craan has a Colbert avatar (dressed as what appears to be a space marine from warhammer), of course he's joking (or the irony is just off the charts)

Yeah.  I never get how people don't get that.

I mean if it were this guy...

I could see it....

But colbert?

It amuses me that people think Russia will give anything good in return. Russia cares only for Russia. And I say god bless them for that.

NATO. Poland, Czech Republic, and other Eastern European countries are members, so 28 countries would be required to declare war on Russia, including 3 nuclear powers. There are quite a few old satellites who aren't under NATO, like Georgia, but any aggression from Russia will obviously draw the attention of an alliance whose primary purpose is containing Russian aggression.

A couple other points for the thread:

1. Nobody, and certainly not Russia, buys that this missile shield was being built to protect against rogue states. Neither Iran nor North Korea is capable of launching a strike on Eastern Europe, nor will they be capable for many years, nor have they even made any threat against Eastern Europe. In fact, only last year Poland was considering an energy deal with Iran.

In Russia's mind, this missile shield is being erected against them, and they view this attempt to reduce their nuclear power as a threat. A new arms race which attempts to undermine the mutually assured destruction that kept the Cold War so cold. Since the US started pursuing this missile shield, Russia has threatened to strike Poland with a nuclear attack, withdraw from nuclear weapons treaties (why not? The US pulled out of the ABM treaty to start this mess rolling), and arm their border with missiles pointed at Europe. They consider this move only somewhat less aggressive than the US found the Cuban missile crisis, and have done everything short of pushing The Button to let the world know how pissed off they are about this.

2. Poland and the Czech Republic have not been champing at the bit for a nuclear defense shield. It took five years of prodding and cajoling for the US to get Poland and the Czech Republic to agree to formal negotiations on a missile shield. Opinion polls placed support firmly against the shield in those countries when negotiations started, only turning in favour when a pissed off and disrespected Russia sent troops into Georgia to remind the world that it is a formidable military power. I'm not condoning that military action, but it's a clear response to continuing NATO erosion of Russia's sphere of influence, including the threat a missile shield poses to Russian nuclear defense.

Russia considered the missile defense agreement in response to the mess in Georgia as confirmation that the missile shield was directed at Russia, not Iran.

After having their chains jerked around every which way, it's understandable that Poland and the Czech Republic are cheesed, but I don't think that's any reason to risk another cold war.

Poland and Czech republic will never stay angry at the USA or ever pose a threat to your security, in a year they would have completely forgot about it and be back to being allies. Russia however needs to have relations with you guys repaired, let's face it you have a bad history together, Obama offers an olive branch and people use it (rather tenuously) as something against him. If the USA improve relations with Russia perhaps you would be the ones to rub off on them and improve their "dictatorship" government.

I mean look, Russia are already much much happier now, this olive branch Obama has offered them has really worked, the Russians and Europe are loving it. Did you know that this morning NATO offered to accept Russia partly as a consequence of this action? Perhaps it is time to extended ourselves to them with these gestures, let's take the risk and hopefully they will reciprocate. Peace with Russia is what the world wants and I'm a lot more sure that eastern Europe would rather have peaceful neighbours than hostile neighbours they have to defend against.

yes people, fear the soviets, they will kill us all....

oh shoot, the cold war ended...some time ago...

Did you ever think that the whole business with Georgia could have been avoided if Russia were a larger part of the international community? I mean if countries don't like you what have you got to lose? But if you are part of the international community and you are close to your peers then an attack would be devastating.

Russia are like a bully in a school, people don't like them (their parents, other children) and so they act in hostile to the other pupils to try and justify themselves to the school and why not, they have nothing to lose. But the second you try and be a bit more supportive of them, offer to include them and give them positive attention they have been craving and they will start acting friendlier, after all if you hurt a friend you risk losing your entire social group and peers.

Try and turn the 'enemy' into a friend is what I'm saying, they wont be such dickheads.

I don't want another cold war! I want peace with Russia!

Russian Ambassador: Yes, that's what we wanted you to think, Mwhahaha!

http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/49604/The_Simpsons_Soviet_Union.html