Don't be having this imperial mindset. We don't need another money hole in Georgia. We don't need more problems with Russia... we should just limit ourselves to keeping Russia from further movements. We don't need to solve someone's problems. We should admit that Ossetia and Abkhazia are lost... Russia was there for so long that provinces just do not see themselves as part of Georgia. Russian influence turned local insurgency against Georgia into province-wide movement to unite with Russia. People in those regions WANT to be with Russia. Georgia was out of the loop for far too long... they cannot re-establish themselves there... period. Force will achieve nothing. Russian can do the same thing back to Georgia... and force will turn Ossetian people away even more. You can try propaganda to change moods, but Russians are far better at it there because they are in place and they know the local culture better than our intel service. As far as Georgia in NATO, you have to remember that Georgia is pretty much third world country (and I know it from personal experience) that does not belong in NATO. At best we can guarantee that Russians will not move further into Georgia by establishing American bases there. This will be mutually beneficial, as we might need air bases to strike Iran if we have to. There are no other sensible solutions.

I'm rather dubious about whether they actually want to be with Russia but much of that is true.

 My main worry is this. Incremental expansionism is Russia's traditional strategy and is very hard to counter

 because each instance is small enough to be a write-off but the collective is rather different.

 

 

I'm rather dubious about whether they actually want to be with Russia but much of that is true.

 My main worry is this. Incremental expansionism is Russia's traditional strategy and is very hard to counter

 because each instance is small enough to be a write-off but the collective is rather different.