afx: I’m willing to bet that both sides share culpability. Undoubtedly the Georgians, bolstered by their relationship with the US, tweaked Putin’s nose and the Russians wasted no time in seizing the opportunity to respond.
Putin’s annoyance with Georgia is well known, as are his ambitions to restore Russia’s fading glory and pre-empt NATO’s moves further east.
However, the idea that arraya expounds, namely that the West and NATO are “aggressors” is arrant nonsense. Russia has become extremely bellicose as of late, largely fueled by her newfound energy wealth and resulting influence in Europe. Russia has always had designs on this part of the world, and Putin took a calculated gamble.
