Steven Collins
August 12, 2008
As readers know, Russia is currently engaged in a war inside the nation of Georgia, which used to be part of the Soviet Union. Georgia is a small pro-western nation, and its small military has little hope against the Russian military. It now appears that Russia will seize and control at least two Georgian provinces: South Ossetia and Abkhazia. However, Russia’s goals may be far more expansive than seizing control over two provinces. I think Russia has three major goals.
Goal Number 1:
Russia has been in a geopolitically weak situation since the break-up of the USSR. Many of the states of the old USSR have moved toward the West. The Baltic republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have joined NATO and the Ukraine and Georgia have made applications to join NATO. President Bush once made a glitzy state visit to Georgia and promised that America would stand with the Georgians (I saw his statement on the evening news tonight). Russia is showing all the states in its old USSR fold that the NATO nations are not going to go to war (or even make any meaningful sacrifices) to defend the security of ex-USSR states who want to move to the western alliance. Russia is showing all the nations in its old “near-abroad” that the USA and the NATO alliance are “paper tigers” who will not help them militarily when the chips are down. This is a clear warning to the Ukraine to drop its application for NATO membership. This invasion of Georgia is a warning to many nations in Asia that Russia can and will use force to compel them to behave according to Russia’s wishes from now on, and that relying on the West for military help is a futile hope. The USA has far too small an army to respond and the EU nations have militaries that have been severely downsized. Russia is showing the world that NATO has neither the ability nor the will to do anything meaningful in this crisis. Russia looks strong. NATO looks weak. Russia is also apparently conducting a cyber war against Georgia just as it did against Estonia not long ago (see second link below). Russia is sending messages to its old USSR states that Russia intends to either re-absorb them into a new Russian-led “USSR” or neutralize them as assets to the western alliance.
Goal Number 2:
When Russia was weakened, the NATO nations bombed Serbia (a Slavic ally of Russia), and recently pulled the province of Kosovo out of Serbia and made it an independent nation in the “European” camp. Russia is evening the score for this action. It is bombing and invading pro-western Georgia, and is in the process of moving at least two of its provinces out of the pro-western camp and moving them back into the Soviet orbit. Russia may even decide to occupy all of Georgia and make it a vassal-state of Russia again. Russia is telling the West that “if you can take areas from our orbit into the western camp, we can do the same thing in reverse, and we won’t hesitate to use military force to do so.” The Cold War is back in force, only it doesn’t look “cold” right now. It also shows that Vladimir Putin is really running Russia, not his replacement, Medvedev (see first link below). Putin is visible talking to Bush at the China Olympics, and visiting troops in the Georgian war zone. Medvedev is invisible.
Goal Number 3:
I believe Russia is planning on seizing a major geopolitical advantage. As the third and fourth links explain, there is a major natural gas line which brings Caspian Sea energy supplies to the EU nations. This pipeline was sited through Georgia to bypass Russian territory so Russia could not control these energy supplies to Europe. If Russian troops continue to attack deeper into Georgia and seize control of this gas pipeline, you can be sure that this was a major objective of the Russian invasion. This may be the reason why the USA and European nations are pleading with Russia to withdraw its forces. So far, Russia is telling the USA and the West to “stick it.”
By seizing military control of another gas pipeline bringing energy supplies to NATO nations, Russia is tightening its energy stranglehold on the European nations of NATO. This will make NATO even weaker geopolitically against Russia. In effect, Russia is attempting to reverse the outcome of the Cold War. Eastern European nations moved into the western NATO bloc after the “Cold War ended,” but increasing Russian control of Europe’s energy needs could gradually make many of the NATO European nations into de facto vassals of a new Russian Empire. Unless Europe develops its own energy resources, the Russian plan could succeed.
If Russia takes control of this Georgian gas pipeline into Europe, it will give it a major card to play against the West if the USA or NATO attacks Iran (Iran is part of the Russian-Chinese-Iranian alliance which was prophesied in Ezekiel 38 to come into being in the latter days of our age just prior to the time of direct Divine intervention in mankind’s affairs). If Iran is attacked by the West, Russia can retaliate by cutting off all energy deliveries to NATO nations even as it cut off energy supplies to the Ukraine in an earlier crisis. Even if the USA attacks alone (or in concert with the Israelis or Sunni Arab nations), Russia can cut off oil to European nations and tell them that the spigot will be turned on only when they put pressure on the USA to stop its attacks on Iran. This would also create severe stresses within the NATO alliance, accomplishing another Russian goal if NATO’s alliance comes apart or is weakened over the issue.
Ezekiel 38 warned that Russia would lead a militarily-aggressive alliance which would include China, Iran and many other nations in the latter days. This is coming to pass exactly as prophesied, confirming that the Divine being who inspired the book of Ezekiel is in control of human affairs. Russia’s military attack into pro-western Georgia shows the military aggressiveness of the Gog-Magog alliance is becoming openly apparent. Ezekiel 38’s prophecy also reveals that this Russian-led alliance is determined to achieve global domination, and that it will eventually openly attack the entire western alliance itself (called “Israel” or the “house of Israel” in Ezekiel 38-39). Readers can see abundant evidence that the house of Israel (the so-called lost ten tribes of Israel) is the target of the Gog-Magog alliance by checking out my free articles at this website, or listening to the free audio messages at this website. The most detailed evidence is in my books, which can be ordered on-line at this website at the book links (which will take you to the publisher’s website where your order can be taken quickly). Your future is going to be determined by how you react to and prepare for the latter-day events prophesied in the Bible. You need to inform yourself of what is really happening in modern geopolitics. The Bible’s prophesies reveal a pre-determined script is being acted out by the modern nations of the world, whether they know it or not. Russia’s invasion of Georgia is helping to set the stage for the ultimate fulfillment of Ezekiel 38-39’s prophecy.
Years ago, President Bush declared that Vladimir Putin of Russia was someone who he could trust and work with. It is now clear that Putin succeeded in duping and deceiving President Bush.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/11/georgia.russia3
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/2539157/Georgia-Russia-conducting-cyber-war.html
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article4499863.ece
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/GF30Dj01.html
