But certainly not for Poland. No! Missile defense systems for western aligned nations are not on Vladimir Putin’s approved list. Key phrase is ‘missile defense.’ Considering Russia’s history, and Putin’s history, and Putin’s current invasion and occupation of the sovereign state of Georgia, is it any surprise that they like the idea of selling offensive and defensive weapons systems to Syria?

Officials said Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has approved the sale of rockets, missiles, aircraft and air defense systems to Syria. They said Medvedev, in consultation with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, decided to enable Damascus to select from a range of Russian weapons and systems.

And it doesn’t stop there . . .

Assad, who ended a two-day visit on Aug. 21, has also pledged to consider a Russian request to station the Iskander-E long-range, solid-fuel rocket in Syria. Moscow has asserted that the Iskankder could penetrate Israeli or U.S. missile defense systems.

Putin is really enjoying his opportunity to bully Georgia, Poland, and Europe. And with a seat on the United Nations Security Council, he is almost guaranteed to get what he wants regarding the Georgian invasion. Which is, annexing the disputed areas into Russia, if not just washing away Georgia’s border and occupying those territories permanently. Well, that is, presuming the West will just sit by and watch, and let it happen.

link:Putin, Medvedev offer Syria expanded options for weapons systems

One day, we are looking forward to the start of the Olympic Games. Then, out of nowhere, we are looking at war between Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the sovereign State of Georgia. This is a hard dose of medicinal reality that the free world must swallow, and deal with.

The suddenness of Russia’s air attacks and tank incursions against Georgia should be the wake-up call to the world that Russia is back to its old self. One could argue whether they had ever really changed, given their turning away from the concept of freedom and democracy under Putin’s first administration. Now in his second administration (under a different name), their idea of diplomacy between countries is military force, not the United Nations.

Russia uses the United Nations when it suits them, and blows them off when it doesn’t. Fact is, the U.N. is not capable of doing anything to solve this conflict. They have no experience in standing up to Russia in any fashion. If there is anything that I can agree with Putin about, it is the ineffectiveness of the United Nations to the point of their irrelevance in world affairs beyond serving as a global meals-on-wheels. The fact that he hasn’t taken whatever his gripe is with Georgia to the United Nations first, is proof of that. There hasn’t been any U.N. resolutions on the matter. Not eighteen, as in Iraq. Not even one.

This episode also makes the case for a new outlook on global security in some geopolitical organization of States other than the United Nations. Not to mention how our own presidential candidates and political parties view our role in the world and how do deal with people like Putin and countries like Russia that seem hell bent on shooting first.

And speaking of our candidates for president, all those who think that there will be unanimity in how to proceed please raise your hand. Peace through strength has been tried and worked. This is a time, if there ever was one, where the United States needs to be speaking with one voice, not just for the sake of Georgia and States like them, but for the world.