Guardian - David Hearst - David Miliband steps into a minefield
In lecturing the Russians about Ukrainian sovereignty, the British foreign secretary appears not to know what he's talking about It will be a cold winter in parts of the Caucasus and Eastern Europe, and that prediction has nothing to do with the weather forecast. The ripples of Russia's war with Georgia are spreading far and wide, and neither Russia nor the west is showing any moderation in their desire to limit the damage. The latest to engage in dangerous and irresponsible grandstanding is David Miliband. Is he a student of even recent Ukrainian history? I very much doubt it, but there he stood in Kiev today lecturing the Russians about the need to respect Ukrainian sovereignty. Which bit of sovereign Ukraine was he talking about, the pro-Russian enclave of Crimea or the majority of the east and central Ukraine that, when asked, is against joining Nato? Does Miliband not realise that Ukraine as a nation has historically been torn between east and west, and what does he think would happen to old wounds if he, among others, starts to tug a little bit harder?
It will be a cold winter in parts of the Caucasus and Eastern Europe, and that prediction has nothing to do with the weather forecast. The ripples of Russia's war with Georgia are spreading far and wide, and neither Russia nor the west is showing any moderation in their desire to limit the damage. The latest to engage in dangerous and irresponsible grandstanding is David Miliband. Is he a student of even recent Ukrainian history? I very much doubt it, but there he stood in Kiev today lecturing the Russians about the need to respect Ukrainian sovereignty.
Which bit of sovereign Ukraine was he talking about, the pro-Russian enclave of Crimea or the majority of the east and central Ukraine that, when asked, is against joining Nato? Does Miliband not realise that Ukraine as a nation has historically been torn between east and west, and what does he think would happen to old wounds if he, among others, starts to tug a little bit harder?
There is no question of launching "all-out war" against Russia, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Thursday, while condemning Moscow's "invasion" of Georgia. Miliband, asked whether NATO would go to war against Moscow if it were to attack a neighbouring country or ally again, said: "We don't want all-out war with Russia ... There's no question of launching an all-out war against Russia." NATO is committed to the principle that an attack against one or several members would be considered an attack against all, and to defending its members against aggression. Georgia is not a NATO member but it has ambitions to join.
Miliband, asked whether NATO would go to war against Moscow if it were to attack a neighbouring country or ally again, said: "We don't want all-out war with Russia ... There's no question of launching an all-out war against Russia."
NATO is committed to the principle that an attack against one or several members would be considered an attack against all, and to defending its members against aggression. Georgia is not a NATO member but it has ambitions to join.
blair, without even TB's noxious charm.
scariest pol in england right now, imo, makes straw and similar slime look benign.
when it comes to dark and opaque agendas, britain is right up there with italy, i reckon, just a lot less ostentatious. ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
