Another Putin lie to take over Georgia to prevent it from making its pipeline so the rest of eastern and western Europe isn't blackmailed by it's gas. Illegal occupation and theft....

Quite right too we need to help this small country. We know Nato have been there again training the Geogians for this aggression, they did the same last year. This year they have been training them to provoke Russia, whilst at the same time training terrorists for the rest of the Caucus region. I am glad to see us stepping up to the mark here, and protecting citizens again. Conflict is always a last resort, but protecting these vunerable people from the Goergian Saakashvili monster is something we need always do. We should be measured though, I am sure applying air power to provocative positions is something that could be a first step to try to force the Georgian aggressors to peace again. We should also try again to get the EU monitors to do their job properly, it may be a false hope, as they are driven politically from the EU to support Saakashvili and Nato. But as always we must go through the correct channels. Obviously if it all fails, with great regret we will have to act, it is as simple as that. We are not going to have this small country terrorised by Saakashvili and the West, period. They have earned their right to self determination, we will respect and uphold that right. It is the right thing to do.

Another US EURO Shvili trick to stay in power and give Russia a bad name ... what illegal occupation ??? ... ossetians and abkhazians do no want to be a part of the 51st state .. what theft lol ??? ... Theft and illegal occupation is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan ..and georgians are helping US and EURO out with that ..

@J.Wyllie What moronic mass media induced understanding. That BTC pipeline can transit only a fraction of what Russia can and runs through shaky territory like Kurdish areas of Turkey who during the conflict last August PKK blew up one of the pipeline. It was Georgia which is a proxy of the EU and US that launched the offensive against South Ossetia and Abkhazia to expand potential transit routes to Europe and the US and UK that vetoed an emergency UN counsel resolution ceasefire before Russia set foot in Georgia

I can understand if Russia uses force if this "shelling" continues but from what I've heard its just small arms fire over the border, which should still been seen as Georgia trying to provoke another conflict. What I'm questioning is Russia's ambitions, because the news I've heard for the past few days is that South Ossetia is trying to claim more land as their own. This is disturbing to me because they haven't even been recognized as a sovereign state by the majority of the world; I do believe they should be recognized as a sovereign country but the intentions do not seem very good when they are trying to claim all this land so soon after this conflict with Georgia. It would be seen as a provocation against Georgia because this land is still "technically" in dispute. Since there has been talk about Abkhazia and South Ossetia potentially unifying with Russia this can been seen as a land grab by Russia. I'm still in question about this "shelling" because from what I've heard seems like a gross over exaggeration.

I feel very sorry for South Ossetians and Abkhazians being used as pawns in the Kremlin's dangerous regional games. These press reports bear an ominous echo of the propaganda we heard this time last year from Russian news sources. It is, however, hard to believe that, as some fear, Moscow would try to remove Saakashvili from power. They tried and failed last year and it is hard to imagine what on earth they think would fill the power vacuum. Georgians want nothing to do with the sort of "liberation" being meted out to their breakaway regions (and it would be interesting to know what the people in those regions themselves want: with journalists from the west severely restricted and many of the dissenting voices ethnically cleansed). And the days when Russia could impose its will on its erstwhile satellites have long gone, particularly in Georgia. It's a shame that Georgia cannot look to its large neighbour Russia as a friend and ally. But the reality is that any rapprochement with the Russia of today would be little better than the years of imerialist domination of the Soviet and past and beyond.

During the fighting last year, the western press kept saying Russia would bomb the pipeline, or already had. Didn't happen, and within a week the Russians had pulled back from the pipeline. If Russia did not take it over then, during a war started by the Georgians and when the Russians had at one point circled the capitol, I don't think they are likely to now. It looks like Saakashvili is trying to get CNN back in Georgia to film more propaganda for his NATO application. He reminds me of a bratty little kid who keeps throwing stones at other boys until they lose their temper and paste him one. Then he runs home to mommy and tries to get them in trouble. I'm tired of USA playing "mommy" for yet another tinpot wannabe dictator, who only wants us to get involved in his little war. And this time it is not a war with little kids. I really wonder if Saakashvili and his backers are trying to create more than just a regional conflict in the Caucasus, but perhaps something that Russia and USA had managed to avoid all during the MAD days of the Cold War.

Why take everything so seriously. Russian and Georgian leaders should follow the Obama example and have a "beer summit." Everyone have the beer (or vodka) of their choice, appologize to each other and stop saying/doing bad things to each other.

Take over Georgia and be done with it. The puppet and drug addicted lunatic leader of Georgia is just damaging the delicate balance in the Balcans. Russia should have taken us over completely last year when they had the chance and the right of justice on their side. I am sorry they didn't do it then, maybe they should do it now if they can.

One point not yet mentioned is that Russia's stock market lost billions in the days following Russia's entrance into the conflict. Losses were so steep that trading was temporarily halted. Was this entire affair a planned attack on Russia's economy? Did the planners of this conflict predict that investors would pull their funds out of the Russian market upon Russia's justifiable entrance into the region? Who lost? The South Ossetians- The Georgians- and The Russian stock market... Perhaps if our government here in the US had opted to invest in Russia- a new Democracy- instead of China- a Communist nation- than there might be more peace, prosperity, and understanding in the region. Unfortunately, politicians often do not always stand for the principles they claim to support.

Sloan - you raise an excellent point, and one with which I also have unease with, and that is of extra territory being claimed by South Ossetia. I don't see this as a Kremlin ambition, but I do see it as a South Ossetian ambition. We need be pretty blunt with South Ossetia here, we support them as a country, but we are not going to get involved with piggy in the middle political games. We should use our influence to tell them to stop. You can call this the Kremlim putting them under control or whatever you like, I don't I see it like this, but rather as Russia standing up for principles and sayiing, we guarantee your country, but don't try to abiuse and use that in military games. Russian needs tell South Ossetia straight, resolve everything politically and peacefully regarding these extrra claims, military options are not available and will not be supported.

Here's something that caught my attention. I just read an article that Israel is doing everything it can diplomatically with Russia, to avoid the sale of the S-300 missile system from Russia to Iran. The bargaining chip? Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's Russian-speaking foreign minister said that if Russia goes through with the sale, then Israel will continue to sell hi-tech weapons to Georgia. It is known in my country, USA, that it is the biggest supplier of weapons of all types to Israel, which means the weapons being sold Georgia are US made. One other thing I read not so long ago was that many of the trigger mechanism for the bombs and other explosives in Israel, are made by Motorola. Now that my friends is pretty interesting.

Aquarius - Well considering Motorola can't make good phones, its good to see they are trying to be good at something. But seriously, we are not going to be threatened by Israel, we definitely would consider a deal with the US, but not Israel. Short of nuclear weapons, anything they gave to Georgia, would be useless and futile, in terms of helping the monstrous Georgian regime, threaten us again, it may add a few hours to our defensive thrust, but not more. It would just be like being held up by a table thrown across a path. Once cleared, you move quickly on. In return Russia would make life very difficult around the Israeli homeland. Remember they didn't do so well when the Kornet was about.

Russia most protect it's land and it's people. Georgia is out of it's time for trying to shell Russia and what is sad is the United States is backing a country like this. I think Russia should take out the Gorgian goverment for trying to do some thing like that. If all the Republics of Russia started leaving Russia for countries bordering Russia, Russia would be nothing.