Russia, Georgia and the near-impotent west

There has been a press by the U.S., as well, to add Georgia to NATO, a move that cannot help but be seen as extraordinarily provocative by Russia – a nation headed by a ruthless government that is unwilling to see its greatest military rival parked on its doorstep.

On Russia's part, it is hard to see a truly earth-shattering drawback to this appalling invasion of their neighbor. Moscow gets to remind various governments – particularly, those in the West – that it is still a power player on the world stage; it gets to show that it does not make promises or threats (such as those concerning South Ossetia and Abkhazia) that it is not willing to back; and it is able to give the world a televised, blow-by-blow preview of the deadly seriousness with which it would consider any possibility of its neighbor's joining NATO.

It is also Russia's chance to teach Georgia that its supporters in the West are more toothless than the Georgian government surely hoped. It is quite possible that Georgia's leadership simply miscalculated and overplayed its hand. It is hard to imagine that President Mikheil Saakashvili is so naïve as to think that Russia would actually not follow through on its stated commitments to South Ossetia, unless he assumed that the support expressed by the West – in particular, the United States – would be enough to deter the Kremlin. He is certainly strongly appealing to such support, stating in the Wall Street Journal on August 11, "Let us be frank: This conflict is about the future of freedom in Europe," and "If Georgia falls, this will also mean the fall of the West in the entire former Soviet Union and beyond."

But Moscow's assessment about the teeth of Georgia's paramours in the West may be rather accurate, as the U.S. simply does not have the bite it used to. Although America has, indeed, sent troops to Georgia, it has carefully and firmly explained that the troops are there only for humanitarian purposes and are not to engage Russia militarily.

Fully utilizing its moment in the spotlight and flaunting its resistance to Western pressures, Russia has now declared that Poland, too, could be attacked. Chief of Staff General Anatoly Nogovitsyn stated explicitly that by accepting a U.S. missile interceptor base Poland "is exposing itself to a strike – 100 percent." The general also explicitly stated that such a strike against Poland absolutely could include nuclear weapons. Rather than feeling pressure to smooth things over, the great Bear of the East is brandishing its claws!

The fact is that Western weakness has encouraged Russia to be so bold. God promised long ago that if the nations He has blessed – in modern times, the United States and the United Kingdom in particular – do not turn from their sins and seek the God who has exalted them, His blessings would evaporate. He tells them, "I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies … I will break the pride of your power" (Leviticus 26:17, 19). Though it is certainly not gone entirely, we see in the waning influence Washington wields in conflicts such as these the growing fulfillment of these prophecies.

If you are interested in learning more about what Bible prophecy says about these modern nations, consider reading our online article What's Ahead for Russia? or ordering our free booklet, The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy. Both will open your eyes to the Bible's remarkable ability to give you tomorrow's headlines today!