Mikhail Gorbachev’s Washington Post article and readers’ reaction

Washington DC: Why is there so much anti-Russian propaganda in the American media? Why is there so little mention of the fact that the Georgians started this, that they were the aggressors in this case? In fact, if you read the British press (such as The Times, The Guardian, etc.), you will find these facts mentioned and discussed a lot more than here in America. With the exception of the op-ed by Gorbachev in today's Post, I don't see a lot of objectivity in the American media regarding this situation, and even our closest allies (the British) are laying some of the blame on Saakashvili.

Austin, Texas: I just finished reading the Mikhail Gorbachev piece in The Washington Post, and I'm a bit flummoxed. Sunday and Monday most of what I read or saw on TV talked about a Russian invasion and really reminded me of the old scary days of the Cold War. World War III loomed between the lines of the columns for myself, who grew up during the Cold War. There were a couple of sentences occasionally that covered Georgia's military attack on Aug. 7 a bit, but I couldn't really figure it out. I have a hard time accepting anything whole-cloth, so let me ask: Is Gorbachev's piece largely correct, or is it just Russian propaganda?
If the former, then the American press has really done this story and myself a disservice. This is a huge, important and dangerous event in world history happening right now, and if Gorbachev's description of history is correct then his article should be one of the bold headlines in The Washington Post, not some minor side political comment.
rlyoung31 wrote:
Thanks to Mikhail Gorbachev for this thoughtful and honest analysis of the problem. I wish that both Presidential candidates -- but especially candidate Obama -- would read and reflect upon Mr. Gorbachev's wise counsel. Aggression is aggression, whether it is committed by a "friend" or a "foe" of the US. There is simply no excuse for Georgia's deliberate, unprovoked military assault on South Ossetia; and that aggressive action by Georgia plainly started the present war-fighting in Georgia. It is wrong for our Government to support the aggressor Georgia in this conflict. If "major" Presidential candidates Obama and McCain cannot or will not see that fundamental truth, neither of them deserves to be my President.

phughez wrote:
"The region's political leaders need to realize this. Instead of flexing military muscle, they should devote their efforts to building the groundwork for durable peace."
Sage advice from one of the world's great political thinkers, last
President of the Soviet Union. How can the U.S. be so confused about this reality, lecturing from thousands of miles away, steeped in the 20th century politics of ideological confrontation?

EarlC wrote:
Very interesting perspective on this event by Gorbachev. Too bad that much of the media that I have seen or read while on vacation has been Bush directed. It is time that the Bush regime be seen for what it really is -- regieme change masters who are quick to call another country's response to hostile government actions as an attempt at "regime change." We have really put ourselves into an international and diplomatic pickle with the current white House. Will November ever get here so that we can have a taste of regime change also?

WillowTreeWorld wrote:
Mr. Gorbachev has offered up a wise and reasoned perspective on the complexities of the region. He has also laid out a plausible way to peacefully resolve this crisis.

We should listen to this Nobel Peace Prize Laureate! Instead of with guns, let's arm ourselves with knowledge and stand strong for peace. Pass it on!
N. Logsdon Mandelkorn

Garvagh wrote:
I admit to being a great admirer of Mikhail Gorbachev, and I join with those who congratulate the Washington Post for carrying this very important piece.

I also thought the abolition of autonomy for South Ossetia was a classic blunder and that Georgia should have carefully considered the merits of the federation solution Gorbachev proposed.

ElectricBill wrote:
"In other words, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was expecting unconditional support from the West, and the West had given him reason to think he would have it."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gorbachev makes some very good points. Who actually initiated things isn’t completely clear, but if Georgia thought the US was going to pull their fat out of the fire then somebody has been blowing smoke up their butts.

gargoyle22 wrote:
Gorbachev clearly identifies the true, original aggressor in this event as Georgia and Saakashvili. Georgia and Saakashvili launched the initial attack on Ossetia. Russia responded to protect the human rights of those who were victims of Georgian aggression. Saakashvili was greatly encouraged by the Bush, Cheney, Rice foolhardy intimations of support for his untenable position.

drowe57699 wrote:
Mr. Gorbachev is right on target. Bush and his cronies sold a bill of goods to a gullible Georgian president, who tried and failed on his invasion.

The present administration missed history 101 and now the chickens are coming home to roost. Bravo to Mikhail
8/12/2008 4:31:48 PM
leobrux wrote:
Gorbachev is right.

I'd like to ask:
Did the Whitehouse know about the plan and decision of Saakashvili to invade South-Ossetia (thus declaring war on Russia)?

If yes - did they approve of it?
Or try to hinder it?

If they approved - what incompetence!

If the Whitehouse did not know: What a good friend, this Saakashvili! Not informing his patron and sponsor, not informing those who were supposed to bail him out! (And what a stupid idea to base Western hopes on such a reckless and irresponsible character like Saakashvili.)

pKrishna43 wrote:
I am surprised at Gorbachev's response to this situation, but I have enormous respect for his understanding of the situation in that part of the world in particular, and the world in general. It causes me to reevaluate the situation, and learn more about it, instead of instinctively and intuitively criticizing Russia & Putin.

auntmo9990 wrote:
Thank you, Mr. Gorbachev. A wise and understanding article.

Americans would be wise to listen, given the many lies and manipulations the Bush administration has told us through the media, manipulating "truth" to their own advantage.

If nothing else, NATO should pay attention to the naked aggression of Georgia on South Ossetia, and rethink the trustworthiness of a foolish and impulsive leader like Saakishvili jeopardizing everyone's safety.

Will the 2000 dead S.Ossetians be a concern at the United Nations?

Depends on how many countries Bush et al manage to intimidate or pay off with promises of military aid (the same way they convinced Georgia to help in Iraq).

But we can all hope that the principles of NATO and the UN, as opposed to the naked power of the Bush administration's manipulations, will re-surface.

Thank you, again, for providing a bigger picture of this situation than the narrow American press usually provides.

Of COURSE Putin had no other choice.

And notice, he has ceased military action MUCH sooner than Israel did in Lebanon.

Thank you again, sir.

dhfalk wrote:
Information and common sense is a welcome relief from the ideology-driven pieces you've been publishing.

ccclam wrote:
Mr. Gorbachev is accurate in his article. Anyone who has studied this situation, and most American's have not, know the history proves him correct and this is another example of the damage done by the Bush Administration and their so called "spreading of democracy policy". Citizens of America, know your facts and beware of the lies coming from your President and his people. As in Iraq, they have blood on their hands from this conflict as well.

Caliguy55 wrote:
How refreshing to hear the intelligent and rational explanations, reasons, and solutions for a problem area of the world by one of its elder statesman. The fact that such wisdom was postulated by a great man from a foreign country only makes me yearn for the days, when the United States could claim such men among its leadership. Instead, our leadership has been reduced to a bunch of nonsensical neocons and criminals, who have virtually destroyed our country. I'm sure the Founding Fathers would look away in disgust, if they saw the state of our country today.

joeparadis wrote:
Good article that presents some rationale for the Russian action. As a retired government schmuck living a fairly small circle life, I do think that what others think that is different than what I think and what I hear and read in the MSM is a good thing. I do not know all the facts but, on its face, this article seems to employ reason more than invective and I love the last line of the article.

HerLao wrote:
Gorbachev will go down history as one of the most able and resilient peace builders.

He was able to take the Russian people from an extreme militaristic Soviets to a work democratic Russia within his few years in office.

His radicalism is actually his fair-minded, balanced approach to societal transition. This was, this IS, the man who effectively brought the "cold war" to an end as we know it.

(Not our cowboy actor, Reagan.)

Gorbachev knew his country and people could not afford such a militaristic trajectory, because too much resources created by the extremely well educated Russian people were being wasted on non-edible and non-usable military infrastructures, as colenels and generals in the Soviets armed forces, as well as teachers and professors, had to moonlight as taxi drivers to earn enough money to buy bread to feed their families....

His thoughts here are fair, balanced, and elucidating.

llcalh wrote:
Thank you Mikhail Gorbachev for providing intelligent insight into the current Georgian-Russian conflict. It's very difficult to trust reporting on complex issues that we get from our sound-bite oriented politicians and press.

jwritesel wrote:
Finally someone is telling the story in a fair and balance way. I have been watching McCain and MSM for a while now and they have only presented one side of this issue. I agree we can not employ Bush's usual Cowboy diplomacy and must approach this situation with great care. Something that seems to be lacking from McCain. Even Bush is showing a better approach to this than McCain. While Obama has said Russia should stand down he has approached this in a much more balanced way. I sure hope people out there do their research on this and remember 2002 and 2003 when we were lied to about Iraq. The Russians along with the Chinese have been cooperating with us to achieve progress with issues like North Korea and Iran. We can not expect these people to continue to work with us if we are going to make threats and take sides without looking at the whole picture. I believe Obama has shown the type of judgement needed to be successful in foreign policy that could lead to a lot of successes working with the world community.

bumplebe wrote:
Thank you for so eloquently relaying my feelings regarding this situation. It has been exceedingly difficult reading and listening to information regarding the conflict, with so little mention of the suffering of Ossetians. Many, many thanks!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/11/AR2008081101372.html