It Used To Be That The US Could Be Relied On

Abe Greenwald writes from Azerbaijan about the situation in Georgia and points out:

Victim status doesn’t get you what it used to. There was a time when an American friend or a strategically critical state under attack got more than color commentary from the White House and a boat full of Ace bandages. When Russia rolled into Afghanistan in 1979 we didn’t give Afghans our sympathy; we gave them guns–big ones. When Saddam tried to annex Kuwait, we went in and sent him back home. Today a real invasion will get you a symbolic vote, a high profile condemnation, and a Facebook group.

But it’s the old America that friends and states with democratic aspirations remember, and they continue in vain to appeal to us.

And the world watches.

Read the whole thing.

Technorati Tag: Russia and Georgia.