Word: russian
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...When the U.S.S.R. was beginning to collapse, Georgian nationalists began to blockade Ossetian and Abkhazian towns. Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia's democratic leader (as Brzezinski calls him) - whose police officers were using force on nonviolent protesters just last November - was goaded by the U.S. and NATO into waking up the Russian bear. It looks as if Georgia will now pay the price. Armen Hovhanesyan, Westwood, Calif...
...commentary on Russia's wounded pride [Sept. 1]. My wife is from Ukraine, and in the past several years we have traveled extensively in Ukraine, Russia, and other former Soviet states. Most of these new nations are in effect banana republics, run by wealthy elites. They treat their Russian minorities very poorly. Russians in these countries feel abandoned by ardently nationalist politicians. They see no advantages in democracy - quite the opposite, in fact. In focusing on politics and the machinery of democracy, the West is forgetting about these people, which only fuels their humiliation and resentment. If a Russian leader...
...confrontation between U.S. and Russia [Sept. 1]. It is clear that the inclusion of former Soviet states in NATO, the independence of Kosovo and the anti-missile shield to be installed in Poland have led to distrust on Russia's part. The plight of Russians in ex-Soviet nations, together with a more buoyant Russian economy and strong political support for President Vladimir Putin, makes easier for Russia to further its aim of enhancing its international standing by whatever means necessary. For these reasons, something like the invasion of Georgia was inevitable. Let us now hope that history does...
...When the Soviet Union sent missiles to Cuba, within range of the U.S., President John F. Kennedy responded resolutely. Now that the U.S. is bringing countries in Russia's sphere of interest into NATO, why should we expect Russian leaders to react any differently? Klaus Wagener, Rio De Janeiro...
...There may be a kernel of truth to both sides. Saakashvili may have thought that his forces could stamp out the South Ossetian defense force in one swift strike without provoking a Russian response; indeed, a mistaken belief that Western allies could intervene diplomatically to restrain Russia might have encouraged him in that calculation. For its part, Russia could well have sought to provoke Georgia into such a response (by urging the South Ossetians to step up attacks on Georgian positions) in order to provide them with a pretext to invade...