Russia and the Georgian rebel region of Abkhazia today signed a deal allowing Moscow to establish a military base on its soil, further raising tensions with Georgia.
This will add 1,300 troops to an existing force of 1,700, so it isn't anything radically different than the reality on the ground. And did anyone really expect Russia to leave?
Russia took the place and they're going to keep it. The 2008 war was just an exclamation point on this existing reality, anyway, and this is just more of the same.
Not that we should recognize Russia's conquest, but we aren't about to do anything about it. No more than we were willing to do anything during the Cold War about the Soviet Union's control of Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania.
But stuff happens if you give it enough time, eh? When lots of people made for the exits when they could to escape the Russians, we'll see how the locals like their new Moscow bosses.
