Paul Craig Roberts: Putin Should Not Repeat the Strategic Mistakes of 2008

Ukraine's issue must be resolved immediately — to warn other countries

Image content: In 2008, Ossetian soldiers rode armored personnel carriers into Tskhinvali, next to a large portrait of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, with Cyrillic script written on the portrait: "Putin — Our President".

Georgia was once a province of the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire. Its current government is no longer anti-Russian as it was in 2008. At that time, the United States used the then-Georgian government to invade Russia's protectorate South Ossetia, which ultimately led to Georgia being swiftly defeated by Russian forces.

The current Georgian government follows a pro-Georgia stance, refusing to be involved in the conflict between the West and Russia, and taking no sides.

Western-funded non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are allowed to operate in Georgia. These Western "manipulators" have recently tried to use the opposition party to stage a coup again, overthrowing the current Georgian government, aiming to open a new front against Russia, consuming Russia's military resources.

The Georgian Prime Minister stated that this attack on the government was "planned by foreign intelligence agencies." Meanwhile, "rebels" waved EU flags.

The opposition obviously accepts foreign funding. They gain nothing from the war against Russia, only their leaders can receive bribes.

Weakened patriotism is a typical characteristic of countries with weak national identity. For a long time, Georgia was a proud province of a superpower. Now, Georgia is insignificant on the world stage, at most just a potential pawn for the West to oppose Russia.

In 2008, Russia was forced to defeat Georgia (it should be noted that at that time, Putin was the Prime Minister, and the President was Dmitry Medvedev — note from Pravda).

But at that time, Putin made his position clear — he chose to withdraw his troops, allowing Georgia to restore its independent existence, unwilling to give the West an opportunity to exploit, avoiding the West's propaganda about him "rebuilding the Russian Empire."

Image content: In 2008, Russian soldiers block the road in the suburbs of Gori, northwest of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.

This may be Putin's strategic consideration. The nationalism in Georgia is not strong, and the Western-organized large-scale protests in the streets of Georgia's capital, trying to overthrow the current pro-Georgia government, also confirm this.

Image content: In 2008, a group of Russian armored forces heading to the capital of South Ossetia, Tskhinvali, in the self-declared independent region of South Ossetia in Georgia.

As long as Georgia allows Western-funded opposition parties, the country will never be stable. Considering the Western plan to open a new front against Russia in the Baltic, Poland, Romania, and Moldova, Georgia is undoubtedly a target the West desperately wants to win over.

Russia cannot conduct a conventional war across such a vast front line from the Baltic Sea through Ukraine to Georgia.

Washington, Britain, and the capitals of European countries have failed to realize that placing Russia in such a critical situation will inevitably trigger a nuclear war.

Unfortunately, the Western public neither understands the war their leaders are inciting nor has the ability to influence their government's decisions.

For Russia, the only way to avoid a nuclear war, apart from surrender, might be to immediately destroy Ukraine's combat capability using conventional weapons.

This will serve as a warning to other governments that strongly advocate a war against Russia.

Unfortunately, for all of us, the Russian leadership currently lacks the awareness, vision, and determination needed to save the world from a nuclear war.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7559029422091747879/

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