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Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. (AP) Last update - 14:44 17/08/2008 ANALYSIS / Putin may have gone one step too far in Georgia By Anshel Pfeffer Tags: Putin, Georgia, Soviet states  TBILISI - The endless movement of tanks through Georgia and the fairly lethargic response of the West so far ostensibly shows a resounding victory for Vladimir Putin. The Russian prime minister has managed to show everyone the helplessness of Europe's leaders to prevent him from carving up a sovereign state. But in Eastern Europe, the impression is growing that he attained the opposite of what he set out to do. Putin did score a knock-out against the Georgians, but this outcome was never in doubt. Putin wanted to signal to the rest of the countries that were part of the Soviet empire that they will have to forget the Western orientation they had sought to adopt over 17 years of independence. The threat is clear: Any one of them could be crushed like Georgia. But these countries for now refuse to show signs of fear. Five of the threatened leaders, the presidents of Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, hurried to Tbilisi for a solidarity visit. These countries also continued their airlines' regular flights to Tbilisi, which indirectly contributed to one of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's significant achievements: avoiding a sense of siege on the Georgian capital despite the approach of tanks. Advertisement But Putin was much more irked by the fact that the Russian attack caused Poland to end a year of indecision and sign an agreement with the U.S. administration to place on its soil an American missile defense base. In addition, the Ukrainian government announced its desire to cooperate with the West on defense against ballistic missiles, and that it intends to limit the actions in its territory of the Russian fleet. These announcements show a harder line by Ukraine, whose president, Viktor Yushchenko, had earlier preferred not to goad Putin too much. Senior Georgian government officials said over the weekend that they believed Putin's mistake was in ordering his forces to go beyond South Ossetia deep into Georgian territory. If the tanks had stayed in South Ossetia, they say, the other countries in the area would not have been so determined to demonstrate their independence. Russia's move beyond Gori came after Putin returned from the opening of the Olympics in Beijing; it seems Putin assumed from the lack of protest he sensed on the part of leaders of other countries that he could do anything he wanted in Georgia. The reports coming out of Moscow over the past few days of disagreements between Putin and his successor Dmitri Medvedev may attest that even the new president fears that Putin has gone one step too far. Bookmark to del.icio.us   A second chance Parents shocked to see their baby breathing moments before she was to be buried. Kafka the Zionist Remnants of Kafka's estate found in T.A. raise questions of his belief in Zionism.   1.   Let`s hope this is true and Medvedev can flex muscle 03:28  |  Mark B. 17/08/08   2.   WHO`S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD BEAR ? 04:17  |  Arik Silverman 17/08/08   3.   THE OLD EMPIRE CRUMBLING;KING MOSHIACH GAVE BLESSINGS TO USA GOVT 04:57  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 17/08/08   4.   Support Chechnia 05:09  |  Eini 17/08/08   5.   georgien conflict 06:22  |  herman Zurkinden 17/08/08   6.   #3 Voice of WHO? 06:38  |  Jew 17/08/08   7.   There are two aspects to this: Military and Military 07:04  |  John Isenhower 17/08/08   8.   #7 What do you have against Rice? 07:58  |  Matt 17/08/08   9.   Bad for Putin that this didn`t happen in six months 08:11  |  Voice of Reason 17/08/08   10.   What about the step Sakashvili took? 08:14  |  Anti-Bin Laden/USA 17/08/08   11.   not sure what the author bases his "lack of fear" on .. 08:36  |  redmike 17/08/08   12.   #7 - well said! 08:58  |  redmike 17/08/08   13.   "Putin,...`one step too far` " 09:43  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 17/08/08   14.   #9 - Russia achieved all it wanted in Georgia 09:45  |  redmike 17/08/08   15.   Medvedev , a puppet ? Yes or no....... 10:02  |  Nora 17/08/08   16.   Cipora boker tov 10:10  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 17/08/08   17.   Well said...and more! 10:30  |  Shtarka 17/08/08   18.   if it talks, dresses en acts like the Russian mob, then... 10:33  |  Tom Lobo Meyer 17/08/08   19.   Russian nukes in Syria 10:39  |  Clint 17/08/08   20.   PROBABLY THAT`S THE TRUTH 10:40  |  indrajaya 17/08/08   21.   #20 Indonesia do not mess with Timor 11:19  |  Semsem 17/08/08   22.   Russian nukes in Syria? A logic consequence. 11:19  |  Walt 17/08/08   23.   oh yeah, he`s gone too far 11:30  |  Raziel 17/08/08   24.   Clint 14:01  |  Mike 17/08/08   25.   Russia and the World 14:22  |  A. J. Myers 17/08/08   26.   PUTIN`s WAR 14:42  |  LevZahav 17/08/08   27.   THIS ARTICLE IS WRONG COMPOLETELY 15:34  |  Ariel 17/08/08   28.   Additionally, Putin Just Got John McCain Elected 16:31  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 17/08/08   29.   #7: Incompetent Military Analysis 16:36  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 17/08/08   30.   #20 Indy....just how did anyone mess with Russia? 16:46  |  Lynn 17/08/08   31.   Too much spin..... 17:19  |  William 17/08/08   32.   Too Far? It worked! 17:54  |  ARTH 17/08/08   33.   # 28, OVADIAH BEN AVRAHAM 18:02  |  indrajaya 17/08/08   34.   # 30, LYNN 18:11  |  indrajaya 17/08/08   35.   Dont forget what russians did in Chechnia 18:33  |  Abu Yusuf 17/08/08   36.   #28,O ben A, sorry, it may be closer, but Obama still wins 19:33  |  Voice of Reason 17/08/08   37.   PUTIN NOT GOING FAR ENOUGH 02:47  |  VIPER 18/08/08   38.   Viper 08:31  |  Dr. Makni (acronym) 18/08/08

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