1. Marcel Deat, author of famous article, “To Die for Danzig?” (1939), culminating his campaign of appeasement – ended in a Vichy government, after 1945 was hiding in Italy where he died in Monastery in 1955. His ideas did not work out.

2. Neville Chamberlain: radio broadcast on 27 September 1938: “How horrible, fantastic it is that we should be digging trenches and trying on gas-masks here because of a quarrel in a far away country between people of whom we know nothing. I am myself a man of peace from the depths of my soul.”

Which logically lead him to:

“My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time.”

many other examples can be found I think; the bottom line is that these appeasement ideas don’t work, bad guys don’t stop. Adolph never did, with every concession and compromise he was growing stronger and stronger and was demanding more and more. Finally he was stopped but with high price, including young American men and women dying in Europe, geographically far from USA.

I just wander, why Mr. Larison is so sure that Russia will stop? Or, maybe he thinks that since the NAME – Communist Party of Soviet Union is abolished West is dealing with different set up now?

I would like to remind that USSR Politburo had a meeting BEFORE USSR invading Afghanistan and the corresponding resolution was documented. Russian Parliament met August 22, 14 days AFTER the Russian-Georgian war started and granted president Medvedev the go-ahead for a war which was already over (according to same Russian president Medvedev).

Would be glad to hear what’s Mr. Larison’s take on my doubts.

Thanks,

George Japaridze

Why is Ukrainian independence from Russia an unalloyed good? Culturally and linguistically Ukraine has extremely close ties with Russia. To this day the majority of the Ukrainian population speaks Russian better than Ukrainian, most books and popular media anywhere East of Lviv are in Russian. Russian and Ukraine have economic ties built up over centuries. Lots of Scots want to break away from the UK, lots of Quebecois want nothing to do with Canada. Is a policy of fostering healthy independence for Scotland and Quebec also good? Why don’t we pursue that as well then.

You’re right that those proposing Ukrainian and Georgian inclusion in NATO want a renered conflict with Russia. They thrive on division and polarization. I’m just suggesting that a way to defuse and reverse this is to work towards Russian inclusion in NATO as well. If this renders NATO essentially useless, so much the better. On the other hand, NATO can also become a friendlier forum for managing these neighborly relations than the UN, when it comes to security issues. If these nations were all part of NATO, they could actually cooperate more fully without fearing that some loss of sovereignty or domination by Russia would ensue. Getting everyone on the same team is a good way to end conflicts.

On the one hand, it’s good for us to develop stronger and stronger relationships with as many countries as possible. Hence, allowing Ukraine and Georgia into NATO isn’t a bad idea on the face of it. If it helps those countries retain a healthy independence from Russia, that’s good. But if it helps foster a growing rivalry and arms race and increasing diplomatic tension with Russia, it’s not good. The best solution is at some point to invite Russia herself into NATO, thus making the whole alliance a mutural security pact, within which Ukraine, Georgia, and Russia can work out there differences in piece, within a self-respecting mutual alliance. This isn’t all that far-fetched. It would mean that Russia would have to compromise its ambitions to some degree in exchange for security assurances. Not a bad deal, really. And it would also help Russia concentrate on its eastern borders, particularly China.

What could opposition escalate too? Russia is weak…

I am in general agreement with you but I support those opposed to Russia and think their power is greatly over-hyped around here…

As an example, Syria has all the latest Russian military anti-aircraft tech and Israel flew in and bombed the heck out of them without setting off so much as one alarm bell…

It’s what we do…

I do agree that we come up with all kinds of goofy reasons both before and after the fact but don’t act like this is crazy talk totally out of character for us as a country…

Once you start this game it never ends.

I admire the Georgians and their extraordinarily long-lived traditions, but I wouldn’t risk the lives of American soldiers to protect them.

Even if we were inclined to do so, geography makes it impractical.

The promiscuous bellicosity of the neocons never ceases to amaze, especially when they seem absolutely oblivious to the practicalities of geography, economics, numbers of men at arms, etc. Even Lenin and Trotsky recognized the limits of their power; hence Brest-Litovsk.