The potential for a US-Russia stand off?

Question

Russia better hurry up and get out of the port of Poti,(which they have been in) because the US navy is on it’s way. Also there are US C17’s (cargo planes) that have arrived and are arriving in Georgia. I hope your Russia behaves itself. I hope the Russians don’t have a crazed general or crazed soldier on his own initiative, wants to shoot at those planes, because if that happened, well, that would be an international incident, that certainly change the relationship. (Although there are PAL keys on Nukes, there isn’t on conventional equipment. So It’s up to the Russians to behave themselves.)

Reckon they will?

Answer 1

No they will leave. They exposed their inability to conduct war on the same level as the US or NATO. They have no ability to protect their fleet. It would be wiped out in a few minutes.  

Answer 2

Russia has the right to protect herself. It was under Georgian attack. First Russian troops need to eliminate any chance Georgia attacks again. There is still some work in Georgia. US and Russia better be friends because we have the same terrible enemy - Wahhabi's (Al-Quaeda).  Georgian president looks like seriously koo-koo. He makes a bad ally for the States.

Answer 3

For some reason, Putin wants to restore Russia to what he considers the greatness of the soviet union. Russia has had a tough time since the end of the cold war. They have no history of democracy, and nearly three generations of 'nanny state'. The people have no experience in being responsible for themselves - for a democracy to work, the people have to understand that with freedom comes responsibility. Not all responsibilities are easy. They wanted more government control of their lives because that is what they have been used to for many decades.

As a result, KGB guy (Putin) has grabbed more power and centralized more power. All of that is what it is - what the Russian people want.

However, he still feels that Russia is treated as a 'second class citizen' in the world, and is not respected. It serves his purpose to have an enemy to rally the people. For the last 80 yrs, it's been the west, so he is displaying a harder stand against anything the west wants to do.

What's troubling about this is that Russia has a huge amount of natural resources. They can, if they allow it to happen, become a major economic power in the world. Look at Japan in the '80's - no military to speak of, but a major economic power. But Putin is more interested in Military Power than economic power - again, because of the history of the USSR.

They feel threatened by Nato - don't want any of the old USSR countries to join NATO. Nato has no desire to harm USSR - they need to buy Russian resources. Russia has lots of oil. Europe wants to buy it. Russia needs to understand that economic power is within their reach, and will provide more for the people of Russia than any military action.

Georgia has a strategic physical location. Pipelines from the Caspian sea to the black sea. That's another reason Russia is hassling Georgia. It's also a threat tothe other western leaning eastern european countries that used to be part of the USSR. Why Russia feels that it's an us and them situation is very strange. All they have to do is become the economic power that they have the ability to become. By choosing the military option, they are just going to make things harder on themselves.

It was a military build up that caused the collapse of the USSR economy and the collapse of teh USSR. That's what they're headed for again. Pretty stupid.

If the U.S. wanted to use military force against Russia, they could. In a conventional war, it wouldn't be close. Nukes are, as always, of major concern. Does Russia really want to end civilization? I hope not.

So, to answer the question - will they behave themselves - no. Until Putin gets it through his thick head that he's huring the Russian people by his choice to use force rather than develop the Russian international trade, they will continue to behave like a school yard bully with his smaller neighbors.

Answer 4

The objective truth? It'll be "Cuban Missile Crisis" all over again because Russia knows that America will not hesitate to break-out the heavy weaponry on their imperialistic asses.

Answer 5

I bet there is no russians in Poti.

Georgia claim russians are there,

Russia calims they are not.

How potentially Russia can prove they are not? If there is no russians in Poti, they can not prove that.

However, Georgians can potentially back their claims by photos. From the ground or from space. Until they do so, its bold words.

Answer 6

The political situation between the Russians and Americans will change very shortly.  No, we will not go to war however there will be a change is attitude toward the Russians and America may move quickly to get The other Eastern states into NATO.  In this case Georgia fired first and created this mess.  Why don't the news casters tell us this? It will get a little "hot" in the next few weeks.  Hopefully Israel doesn't pick this moment to bomb Iran.  It will make matters even worse.