As the relationship between Russia and it’s mountainous neighbour, Georgia, becomes evermore frosty, the other G8 nations, who meet this month in St. Petersburg, will be concerned with news today that Russia has closed the only mountain pass between the two states.
We saw such regional brinkmanship from Russia last year, in its a gas-war with Ukraine. This move will add further concerns to those who feel Russia in an unpredictable and unreliable energy provider for Western Europe.
From MOSNEWS: -
Sphere: Related ContentThe incident was the latest dispute in uneasy Russian-Georgian relations, which have soured since President Mikhail Saakashvili came to power in 2004 and promised to take this impoverished, mountainous ex-Soviet republic away from Moscow’s sphere of influence and closer to the West.
Vasily Maglaperidze, governor of the province where the border pass is located, complained that the Russians had not warned of the closure of the checkpoint, as is customary practice — leaving hundreds waiting at the border.
“We have a lot of people here who were going to Russia, and even quite a few Russians — they should have at least thought of them,†Maglaperidze said, adding that Russian officials said the pass was not expected to be open again for two weeks.
I kind of wonder why we have inserted ourselves in the Caucasus region, Ukraine, or Belorussia. In the long run, Russia has more at stake, and will not always be weak. I’d call it a victory that the west now includes Poland, Hungary, Czechia, and Slovenia. We can’t forcibly spread freedom & democracy, but we can defend it when the indigenous people ask for our help. Is it really necessary for the West to meddle everywhere that there is oil? We simply have to be in a position to deny utility to some country’s. What I am saying is that securing national oil supplies doesn’t require our intervention, but securing profits for specific oil companies does.
I dare answer your question, Tom :”Is it really necessary for the West to meddle everywhere that there is oil?”
If you change “West” for multinationals - that have no orientation in terms of poles or the sun - I would answer: yes, it is necessary for them. And armies fight to maintain that necessity safe and sound. It befits our capitalistic system.
Unfortunately, money and power are what matters in our world today, human values and rights are despised.