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Times (UK)
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Aug 18, 08 6:27 AM CDT
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Despite promises from the Kremlin and ultimatums from the American and French presidents, Russia is stalling on its promise to withdraw from Georgia, reports the Guardian . The Russian military has moved ballistic missile launchers into South Ossetia, and its troops remain entrenched near Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. But ahead of an emergency NATO meeting tomorrow, Western governments are divided on how best to respond to Russia's aggressions.
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Politico
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Aug 17, 08 7:14 PM CDT
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The Russia-Georgia conflict dominated discussion on Sunday morning talk shows today, Politico reports. "People are beginning to wonder whether Russia can be trusted," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told David Gregory on NBC's Meet the Press . She also stated on Fox News Sunday and Face the Nation that Russia would face "consequences" if it breached the cease-fire agreement.
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Weekly Standard
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Aug 17, 08 5:53 PM CDT
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Why blame Georgia for Russia's invasion when Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is clearly at fault? Putin has been seething ever since pro-Western Mikhail Saakashvili came to power in Georgia 3 years ago, writes Matthew Continetti in The Weekly Standard . "Putin has been pressuring Georgia for years," writes Continetti, shelling Georgia with bureaucratic and economic attacks while bolstering troops in the region.
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New York Times
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Aug 17, 08 2:36 PM CDT
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The autocratic world powers that were crumbling in the late 1980s may yet have their day, and sooner than we think, writes executive editor Bill Keller in the New York Times . As China keeps its stranglehold on free speech despite promises to the IOC, and Russia tests how far it can push the West in Georgia, "It is at least a season: Springtime for autocrats," writes Keller.
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New York Times
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Aug 17, 08 9:19 AM CDT
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“America’s back in the cold war and W.’s back on vacation,” writes Maureen Dowd in the New York Times , observing that as another global crisis begins, the president is again failing to take it seriously. After condemning Russia’s push into Georgia, Bush skipped off to his ranch—where he’s spent 469 days of his presidency. His trip to China, likewise, saw little work and a lot of play in a celebration of China's ascension on the world stage.
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BBC
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Aug 17, 08 8:51 AM CDT
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Dimitry Medvedev said today he'll start pulling troops out of Georgia tomorrow, but has no plans to withdraw from the separatist stronghold of South Ossetia, the BBC reports. The Russian president made the pledge after a phone conversation with Nicolas Sarkozy, who had brokered a ceasefire Friday. Despite signing the agreement, Russia has continued to control a wide swath of Georgia, including the city of Gori and the main highway through the western part of the country, the AP reports, and today confirmed that it had taken over a major power plant.
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Wall Street Journal
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Aug 16, 08 12:01 PM CDT
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The explosion of violence in South Ossetia took the world by surprise, but Russia and Georgia had been gearing up for war for months, reports the Wall Street Journal . Both sides had been steadily boosting their military presence around South Ossetia, waiting for the trigger that came with Ossetian shelling of Georgian positions.
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Times (UK)
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Aug 16, 08 8:00 AM CDT
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A top Russian general warned yesterday that Poland would be "100% exposed" to nuclear attack if it follows through with plans to host a US missile defense system, reports the Times of London. The agreement "cannot go unpunished," the general warned in the first direct threat from the Kremlin since the fall of the Soviet Union.
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Reuters
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Aug 15, 08 2:56 PM CDT
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US-Russian relations took another turn for the worse today with Moscow lashing out at America's new missile-defense deal with Poland. Dmitry Medvedev said the system will be aimed at Russia and denounced as "fairy tales" the US contention that it will deter strikes from rogue nations such as Iran, Reuters reports. Condoleezza Rice refuted the Russian president's allegations.
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CNN
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Aug 15, 08 11:35 AM CDT
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Mikheil Saakashvili signed a US-brokered ceasefire agreement today following a 5-hour meeting with Condoleezza Rice, CNN reports. As he signed, the Georgian president vowed to “never, ever surrender” to the “21st-century barbarians.” Rice said says she has been assured Dmitri Medvedev will sign the deal, which calls for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops, independent monitors, and a reconstruction plan for Georgia’s economy.
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New York Times
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Aug 15, 08 9:40 AM CDT
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Russia's military action in Georgia was a rude awakening for the White House, forcing the Bush administration to reconsider the relationship it thought they had, the New York Times reports. President Bush has famously touted Vladimir Putin a reliable friend and diplomatic partner, despite policy differences, but cooperation across a wide range of spheres—what Defense Secretary Robert Gates calls the “ongoing and long-term strategic dialogue”—now looks to be in jeopardy.
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New York Times
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Aug 15, 08 8:15 AM CDT
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As the conflict in Georgia wears on, John McCain has seized every opportunity this week to showcase his foreign policy chops, notes Michael Falcone in the New York Times , all but positioning himself as a putative commander in chief. McCain boasted of his multiple visits to the region and even dispatched allies Joe Lieberman and Lindsay Graham to Georgia—a far cry from Barack Obama's holiday in Hawaii.
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Times (UK)
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Aug 15, 08 7:31 AM CDT
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Condoleezza Rice arrived in Tbilisi today, where she said her immediate goal was to get Russian troops out of Georgia. The secretary of state stopped over in France to meet with Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president who brokered a ceasefire that Moscow has flouted. Rice's trip follows an American airlift containing medical and humanitarian supplies for Georgians, which drew strong opposition from Russia, reports the Times of London.
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Reuters
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Aug 14, 08 6:19 PM CDT
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An investment banker in Kiev predicted the Georgian conflict two days before it occurred, Reuters reports. "So whaddaya think?,” Geoff Smith wrote on Aug. 5 to a fellow strategist at Renaissance Capital. “I say Saakashvili is going to 'restore the territorial integrity of Georgia' five minutes before the opening ceremony starts in Beijing and dare the Russians to invade while the Games are on."
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