Georgia, Tom Clancy, and Ghost Recon

What's with Russia and Georgia these days? Are we back in the days of the Iron Curtain... the USSR... the Soviet bloc and their attempt to influence the countries around them?

I honestly do not know much about the politics revolving around the battle, except for what I see on television these days... of separatists, politics and control between Eastern and Western influences.

Everyone at this point is focused on Russia, the *power-house of the Eastern bloc, who can't seem to stand the idea that Georgia is or has broken free from Russian influence, and is or has slowly been welcoming more ties with the West... both in trade and in politics. I am perhaps overstating Russia as a power-house... it is more of the over-bearing father who is trying to take control over something they have already lost... by trying to ground the child, lock it up in a room, and finally beating it down. If the child does not stay home, the parent will beat the child into submission... so that it becomes too afraid to stray far. This strategy never works... oppression of a child will always lead to anger, detestation, and ultimately violent reactions. The further the oppression, the more violent the reaction.

I'm finding that the politics between Georgia and Russia are interesting, as I've never paid much attention to that part of the world before.

Watching the news about the refugees, and the reported numbers of people who are now displaced because of violence and invasion is terrible. Only a few days of attacks, and there are reportedly about 130,000 refugess (according to CBC). According to a CBC report, the Georgians "hang onto every word" of the American leaders... hoping that they can influence Russia, and that the Western forces will come to their aid.

As of today, US has stated that they will not get involved militarily in the conflict. If situations escalate, though, someone else will need to get involved... if not the US, then perhaps another powerhouse of the West.

I bring Tom Clancy into this (as per my blog title) in that the similarities between the real-world and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon is uncanny. Ghost Recon is a fictional game involving civil war in Russia, and it's reaction to losing control of the Baltic States, including Georgia. In fact, the game takes place in Georgia in which players take on the identity of elite US Forces. While the game is considered to be military-science (fiction), it holds a bit of truthiness to it.

Russia wants to remind the world that they are still a force to be reckoned with, and the Russian government has decided to demonstrate it's influence by attacking Georgia.

Reportedly, they are slowly withdrawing (or in cease-fire) in Georgia, however their presence is still strong and unwavering. Hundreds of tanks still occupy Georgia, and their are no signs that Russian forces will withdraw completely.