Interference in Georgia v. Russia

[Sea Skimmer]

Georgia vs Russia would never have happened had the Bush administration not encouraged Georgia to poke the bear.

You mean the same administration which specifically refused to train them to use more then 81mm mortars or hummves because anything more powerful might be used against Russia? And which refused to supply any heavier weapons without training? Then low and behold the Georgian offensive completely falls to pieces using a pile of heavy weapons from the Ukraine no one knows how to use. Bush may not have been very helpful, but only because he reached out to Georgia at all. That is hardly the same as actually starting a war.

[Thanas]

Georgia vs Russia would never have happened had the Bush administration not encouraged Georgia to poke the bear.

You mean the same administration which specifically refused to train them to use more then 81mm mortars or hummves because anything more powerful might be used against Russia? And which refused to supply any heavier weapons without training? Then low and behold the Georgian offensive completely falls to pieces using a pile of heavy weapons from the Ukraine no one knows how to use. Bush may not have been very helpful, but only because he reached out to Georgia at all. That is hardly the same as actually starting a war.

I'll grant you that, but without Rice assuring US support for the regions the Georgians would not have misunderstood that.

[K. A. Pital]

Georgia vs Russia would never have happened had the Bush administration not encouraged Georgia to poke the bear.

You mean the same administration which specifically refused to train them to use more then 81mm mortars or hummves because anything more powerful might be used against Russia? And which refused to supply any heavier weapons without training? Then low and behold the Georgian offensive completely falls to pieces using a pile of heavy weapons from the Ukraine no one knows how to use. Bush may not have been very helpful, but only because he reached out to Georgia at all. That is hardly the same as actually starting a war.

I'll grant you that, but without Rice assuring US support for the regions the Georgians would not have misunderstood that.

Not to mention U.S. PMCs being actively used to train Georgian troops. And fucking please, Skimmer, the USA constantly uses PMCs for dirty jobs, like it did in the Balkan conflict and elsewhere. When the state feels it is too cleany to get into a pile of stinking shit, they just send mercs to train Satellite Army X.

[Sea Skimmer]

Not to mention U.S. PMCs being actively used to train Georgian troops. And fucking please, Skimmer, the USA constantly uses PMCs for dirty jobs, like it did in the Balkan conflict and elsewhere. When the state feels it is too cleany to get into a pile of stinking shit, they just send mercs to train Satellite Army X.

Yeah, train them with light weapons and light vehicles to use in Iraq. This does not not change a thing I said. Now if you've got proof the US was training Georgians to use multiple rocket launchers or T-72 tanks, then by all means fucking show it.

[K. A. Pital]

Yeah, train them with light weapons and light vehicles to use in Iraq. This does not not change a thing I said. Now if you've got proof the US was training Georgians to use multiple rocket launchers or T-72 tanks, then by all means fucking show it.

Actually, the USA started training Georgian troops even before the war in Iraq (GTEP) for COIN operations, but the poor state of the Georgian army led to a situation where Americans provided shitloads of free equipment and training for Georgian infantry. The most interesting part is the fact that Georgia SSOP provided training for land forces command, as well as training for the Georgian general staff, who later planned the South Ossetia operation. I'm not sure Americans would be even qualified to train Georgians on T-72s or Russian MRLS, anyway. I think the training of the General Staff is more relevant here.

[Patroklos]

I was just in Georgia a week ago, and the total normal US training footprint is a dozen spec ops types, half military half civilian. We do sponsor them at our state side training locations, other NATO countries also do the equivalent. The idea that our level of training somehow dictated whether Georgia would going to go to war or not is absurd conspiracy hunting.

This might shock some of you, but countries do make smart of stupid decisions independent of the US.

[SCRawl]

Sorry, I should have mentioned that this was split from here on December 10, 2010.