On Monday, the Republic of Georgia launched the Noble Partner 2020 military exercise, a war game centered around Tbilisi which will play host to 2,800 NATO troops from US, France, Britain, and Poland.
Noble Partner is meant to simulate the defense of Georgia surrounding an invasion, and is clearly built on the August 2008 Russo-Georgian War. Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, however, denies that Russia or anyone else is being targeted in the drill.
Russia is clearly bristling, however, at the presence of NATO troops in operations right on their border. Even if not directly targeted, the exercises are part of Georgia’s ongoing bid for NATO membership, something Russia definitely opposes because of proximity.
NATO largely favors Georgia as a member, but will not grant them accession so long as their claims to South Ossetia and Abkhazia remain unresolved, as this would lead to an immediate risk of a war with Russia over the breakaway republics.
It should be remembered that in 2008 when Georgia attacked South Ossetia, they also attacked North Ossetia, which is Russian Territory. However the big failing we never hear is that the UN Security Council actually made Russia the UN peacekeepers for both regions mentioned in the story, and this was done before the attack by Georgia, and has been re-established as a UN Security Council resolution several times since then. In reality the Russians because they were attacked on Russian soil had EVERY right Under the UN charter to roll tanks right into the Georgian Capital, they didn’t the Russians took enough ground to stop the shelling of South Ossetia and to close the main highway to stop reinforcements arriving from the Capital. It was in fact a calculated method of stopping carnage. Be clear if Georgia attacked the US in the same way the US would have rolled all over the country! NATO’s only interest in Georgia is that is a further encirclement of Russia, which is the only reason NATO exists!
Georgia is playing with fire…!