DE BORCHGRAVE: From Tbilisi to Taliban

If the author can see the ineffectiveness of NATO's first joint effort, Putin definitely can. They had to be a major factor in his tactical moves. Putin is relying on the evolving dysfunctional multilateralist policies of the 1990's to provide the tolerance and apathy he requires to dismantle NATO. "Multilateralism of this kind can become dysfunctional when states or groups of states systematically abuse the available opt-out and escape clauses." - John Van Oudenaren Unless things seriously change, none of the events in the last month bode well for NATO.

I disagree with one statement in this article, if the US had lost the Cold War the USSR would have occupied us and prevented us from coming back.

de Borchgrave and Pat Buchannan understand the situation in Georgia. Other commentators seem to be catering to an agenda set by the US establishment. Bush is using NATO to re-ignite the Cold War. Do not assume Bush does not understand the effect of the expansion of NATO; he is just unaware of the consequences, as was the case with Iraq.

de Borchgrave correctly identifies the inability of the west to dictate to Russia limits to its policy in the Caucasus. But he fails to give proper credit to the cause of the Ossetian and Abkhaz separatists against Georgia. I think for most of the people who live in these regions it is Russia who is on "the side of the angels". In Pakistan and Afghanistan, in those border regions where the Taliban rules and neither the Afghan nor Pakistani armies have the ability or desire to overrule them, I think the better strategy would be to separate this region from both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Give the pro-western forces in both countries a population and borders they can effectively govern and require the Taliban-governed Waziristan to shoulder the responsibilities of a sovereign state - living at peace with its neighbors and unable to send forces over its borders, either to find sanctuary or cause turmoil. Then, if the West suffers acts of terrorism, we know whom to punish and can do so without intruding upon the sovereignty of our Afghan and Pakistani allies.