U.S. warns of punitive measures against Russia

[cal04]

Source: Reuters

Russia will face a "very strong reaction" from Washington and others if it does not meet an Oct. 10 deadline to withdraw troops from "security zones" around Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday.

Daniel Fried, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, said Moscow would find itself more isolated and its reputation further damaged if it did not comply with obligations laid down in a French-brokered ceasefire deal.

"Does Russia want to be seen as even more risky to do business in than it is now? What kind of a long-term relationship does Russia want to have with the world?" he told Reuters in an interview.

"If the Russians have not complied by Oct. 10 there would be a very strong reaction," Fried added.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N25404106.htm

[TomInTib]

1. Substitute "United States" for "Russia" and you have a statement in fact.

By the way, has anyone seen Condoleeza Rice?

[Pete2069]

17. Bush has turn our country into a paper tiger..

With his , the republicans BS and hand prints all over it...

Bush has broke our country and now wants Americans to borrow
money from foreign countries like China to pay the elitist.  
while now he talks of war against Russia using what/who funds.
 Maybe this is why he wishes the 1 trillion dollar bailout
for.... Bush said he was a war president and wants to prove
it...with his 100 year war man McSame...

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Or else what? The U.S. will invade and conquer like Iraq?

First rule on the playground: You only threaten kids smaller than you that you can beat up fast.

[cosmicone]

3. And we'll huff and we'll puff and

huff and puff some more ... how pathetic.

[HopeHoops]

4. Well we can't boycott their vodka - what would Bush have for breakfast?

[Astrad]

5. US strikes back at Russia, refuses to borrow their money n/t

[shadowknows69]

6. Yeah with their strategic bombers sitting in Venezuela right now

I don't think they're real concerned. The whole world has seen how effective our air defence is thanks to 9/11

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

7. Only way this will harm 'em is if

Pootie-Poot keels over and dies laughing.

[empire we are]

8. Jeez, We have morons in high places.

Keep alienating Russia to the point where it floods Iraq and Afghanistan with these; Kornet E Anti-Armour Missile, one shot takes out an Abrams
and these Igla (SA-16 Gimlet) SAM system, byby lots of helicopters.

There are many in Russia who want pay-back for what we did to them in Afghanistan.

[Pavulon]

10. And see what we pour into Georgia and Poland

10 ABMs become 4000, then we negate one leg of their nuclear response. Meaning they have to build more ssbn's at billions per.

We can still bankrupt them, again.

We spend trillions on systems made to kill russian systems. The number of naval ships made since the fall of the ussr in russia can be counted on one hand.

They were hollow during the end of the cold war, and are hollow now. How did they loose strategic bombers in georgia, Janes in interested in that.

[empire we are]

13. The Russians are

not occupying Poland, Ukraine or large swathes of Georgia. Yes in an all out war American money and technology smokes everyone elses.
We didn't beat the USSR in Afghanistan with sophisticated multi-billion dollar weapons. We supplied the mujahideen with cheap hand held tank and helicopter killers designed to cripple an occupying force. As long as we are an occupying force we're vulnerable. Don't confuse large scale weapons systems with cost effective battlefield weapons. A $30,000 Kornet E taking out a $10million+ M1 Abrams is a no win for the US.

[Pavulon]

16. That would have consquences..

immediate and abrupt consequences.

[edwardian]

22. Have you learned nothing in the last 7.5 years...?

Russian military forces had a bad time in the last decades but have improved their capabilities and are much advanced from what they had to offer as part of Warsaw Pact. They field one of the most amazing fighter jets in the world (model eludes me), have anti-ship missiles that are nearly unstoppable (see Jane's Military ratings , google it) and have access to more oil than we can ever hope to have. Their handheld anti-tank and anti-aircraft bazookas are superior to US make. No nuclear exchanges, just a slow starving away of all that the US and Europe have been building for decades. Don't fuck with Russia, she plays hard and she can play for keeps...and she still has civil defense drills and air-raid and bombshelters. We ain't got squat to challenge them with unless we want to die as a people (MAD nothing but a deterrent, remember). Saber rattling is most effective when you can back it up with real military power. Just this week we read that 3 battalions needed for Iraq and Afghanistan are mot availabel because they don't exist. America has got to wake up and realize that all the former belligerence and coersion are poor strategies for living in the future. Technology does not win wars, wise strategy and prudence are the keys to victory. The incompetent in the Oval Office only has his failed "strategery" and faith in weapons systems that have failed repeatedly. The fruits of a military/industrial/social construct that enriches the corrupt while leaving the nation vulnerable. I suggest a review of history's empires to understand what happens in the waning decades of a failed empire. The financial disaster we are facing is the typical first step of a bloated, incapable system. Military might has done nearly zero in the last decades except reveal the Army's weakness and display their weapons. GulfWar1 was a cake walk against a vastly inferior and weak opponent, The illegal invasion of Iraq by B'rer Bush has resulted in almost nothing. (I base that last statement on my refugee Iraqi friends who have nothing good to say about USA.) Immediate and abrupt consequences? Try foreseeable impotence.

[Deny and Shred]

14. Let's just hope it's a nice day when they launch

The missile shield is very very far from operational in a live fire setting. The US might drop some bombs, but we are not about to try to repel tank columns for any length of time.

http://www.ciponline.org/dfd/shield.htm

http://www.basicint.org/update/MDU070529.htm

[Pavulon]

15. Russia is not going to war with nato

the impact of US systems on russian systems can be seen on GW1 iraqi tactics. No one is launching or we all die.

[edwardian]

23. The impact of IED's

shows that the American military is easily stoppable. I see that the Iraqi resistance is effective despite being outnumbered by official military. Wishful thinking that America has any military capacity sufficient to the task of
cowing" Russia. Another thing, GW1 was fought against an emaciated Iraqi military, not the Russian Armed Forces. I would be very careful messing with Mr's Putin and Medvedev. These are men who think, calculate and are consequent in their actions. USA is not...

[AlphaCentauri]

19. I remember that some F-117A Night Hawk, were lost to Yugoslav anti-aircraft defenses

[Trillo]

9. Deal keeps U.S. on International Space Station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A political stalemate that threatened to boot the United States off the International Space Station eased on Thursday after U.S. lawmakers passed an exemption allowing NASA to buy rides from the Russians, agency officials said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE48O90K20080925

---

Oh, who to believe, who to believe?

[LynnTheDem]

11. Good luck with that.

Like we're not fucked up enough already.

[Doctor_J]

12. I can hear Putin's knees knocking together from here

:scared:

[Liberalynn]

18. Palin's going to throw snowballs at the Russian's from the back of Tod's

snowmobile? :shrug:

[AlphaCentauri]

20. I guess she has a secret weapon

[Liberalynn]

25. Sarah's own weapon of mass destruction.

:rofl:

[pinniped]

21. This sounds like something that asshole john bolton would say.

"very strong reaction"

[patomime]

24. Palin outght to be able to do something...

after all, she can see Russia.

[olddad56]

26. maybe we can get Russia to loan us the money to take action against them.