Regardless of what it was that has brought us to this point, what we now know for sure is that the Russian Bear is now angry, its citizens are probably 95% in support of their government, and it will only be Russia’s friends and allies that can influence its behavior. The U.N. will have no role in ending this conflict.

We also now know that Georgia seriously underestimated the Russian and Ossetian response to their attempts in reestablishing their authority, the U.S. Intelligence Services and State Department were asleep (even with over 100 U.S. military advisers in Georgia)with what was happening in the region, and that by threatening to shut down of the BTC oil pipeline we may end up with record oil prices within a week and a recession around the corner.

Again …. poor intelligence, lack of strategic thinking, and an absence of leadership has brought us to where we are today. From where I stand, it seems as if we gave the Caucasus back to Russia with no strings attached.