The Heritage Foundation - Leadership for America

September 4, 2008 Ed Smithe, Virginia writes:

Am I missing something with regard to the consequences? A consequence is not ‘the Russians must respect the territorial integrity of Georgia’…it’s the “or else.” What is the “or else?” What is the West going to do to Russia that will result in them ‘respecting the territorial integrity of Georgia?’ Short of force, there is nothing that the West can do at this point. Is the Heritage Foundation advocating force?

Again, making demands that you are not prepared to back up with force makes one look weak. The last thing that the U.S. and NATO need to do is look weaker than they already have.

Moreover, why does the UN suddenly matter to the Heritage Foundation? Isn’t the UN viewed as corrupt institution with no real power? Citing UN resolutions makes these policy prescriptions look desperate.

My advice is, either be bold on this issue or ignore it. These prescriptions are so poorly thought out and unrealistic, that it calls into question whether or not this is simply an editorial rather than a comprehensive policy analysis.

Russia should stop embarrassing the US and NATO…we agree…now what do you propose that we do to make that happen?

September 4, 2008 Todd Sorenson, Wisconsin writes:

How does any country that has forcibly invaded and occupied two nations in the past 8 years have any right to comment on another country doing the same thing. I think we need to clean our own house before we start telling others to clean theirs.

September 20, 2008 Green Beret writes:

Russia is doing what America is doing in foreign countries without showing any respect for international law and human rights. America showed the way and it must now get ready to see more and more as countries like Russia and China take law in their own hands to severely punish CIA-backed killer regimes all over the world.

America is perceived all over the globe as an aggressor that excels in savagery and barbarism. It has lost it’s leader status. It’s seen as a decadent superpower slowly trying to establish undemocratic puppet regimes in countries from Georgia to Bangladesh. It is basically in the final stages of it’s death throes before new powers like a resurgent China or Russia emerge.

September 22, 2008 Aaron Blumzak, Paris writes:

“2. Europe’s response has been wholly inadequate”

A group of divided nations cannot reach but a mild compromise. What’s true for the UN is true for Europe.
The European response was bound to be weak. Did you really expect that bunch of divided middle-sized nations to stand up for far-away Georgia ? We have a structural problem here.
Baltic countries and Poland did react because they know what Russia is capable of, and because their pro-American stance protects them from Russia. But the EU did little more than politely listening to Moscow.

More on this topic here :
http://fan-of-voice-of-america.blogspot.com/2008/09/sharing-burden-unhappy-to-help.html