YnetNews, a bilingual Hebrew-English website, has a useful article on the Israeli Connection in the Russian-Georgian war, emphasizing how personal relationships between the 29-year-old former Israeli Defense Minister of Georgia and Israeli arms merchants helped Israel blunder into a diplomatic disaster without the Israeli government as a whole realizing what it was getting into:

War in Georgia: The Israeli connection

Arie Egozi

The fighting which broke out over the weekend between Russia and Georgia has brought Israel’s intensive involvement in the region into the limelight. This involvement includes the sale of advanced weapons to Georgia and the training of the Georgian army’s infantry forces. The Defense Ministry held a special meeting Sunday to discuss the various arms deals held by Israelis in Georgia, but no change in policy has been announced as of yet. “The subject is closely monitored,” said sources in the Defense Ministry. “We are not operating in any way which may counter Israeli interests. We have turned down many requests involving arms sales to Georgia; and the ones which have been approves have been duly scrutinized. So far, we have placed no limitations on the sale of protective measures.” Israel began selling arms to Georgia about seven years ago following an initiative by Georgian citizens who immigrated to Israel and became businesspeople. “They contacted defense industry officials and arms dealers and told them that Georgia had relatively large budgets and could be interested in purchasing Israeli weapons,” says a source involved in arms exports. The military cooperation between the countries developed swiftly. The fact that Georgia’s defense minister, Davit Kezerashvili, is a former Israeli who is fluent in Hebrew contributed to this cooperation. “His door was always open to the Israelis who came and offered his country arms systems made in Israel,” the source said. “Compared to countries in Eastern Europe, the deals in this country were conducted fast, mainly due to the defense minister’s personal involvement.” Among the Israelis who took advantage of the opportunity and began doing business in Georgia were former Minister Roni Milo and his brother Shlomo, former director-general of the Military Industries, Brigadier-General (Res.) Gal Hirsch and Major-General (Res.) Yisrael Ziv. Roni Milo conducted business in Georgia for Elbit Systems and the Military Industries, and with his help Israel’s defense industries managed to sell to Georgia remote-piloted vehicles (RPVs), automatic turrets for armored vehicles, antiaircraft systems, communication systems, shells and rockets. According to Israeli sources, Gal Hirsch gave the Georgian army advice on the establishment of elite units such as Sayeret Matkal and on rearmament, and gave various courses in the fields of combat intelligence and fighting in built-up areas. ‘Don’t anger the Russians’ The Israelis operating in Georgia attempted to convince the Israeli Aerospace Industries to sell various systems to the Georgian air force, but were turned down. The reason for the refusal was “special” relations created between the Aerospace Industries and Russia in terms of improving fighter jets produced in the former USSR and the fear that selling weapons to Georgia would anger the Russians and prompt them to cancel the deals. Israelis’ activity in Georgia and the deals they struck there were all authorized by the Defense Ministry. Israel viewed Georgia as a friendly state to which there is no reason not to sell arms systems similar to those Israel exports to other countries in the world. As the tension between Russia and Georgia grew, however, increasing voices were heard in Israel – particularly in the Foreign Ministry – calling on the Defense Ministry to be more selective in the approval of the deals with Georgia for fear that they would anger Russia. “It was clear that too many unmistakable Israeli systems in the possesion of the Georgian army would be like a red cloth in the face of a raging bull as far as Russia is concerned,” explained a source in the defense establishment. For inctance, the Russians viewed the operation of the Elbit System’s RPVs as a real provocation. “It was clear that the Russians were angry,” says a defense establishment source, “and that the interception of three of these RPVs in the past three months was an expression of this anger. Not everyone in Israel understood the sensitive nerve Israel touched when it supplied such an advanced arms system to a country whose relations with Russia are highly tense.”

That’s pretty much how the world works: not through Conspiracies Carrying Out Grand Strategies, but through Affinity Networks. There is no Inner Party who understands all and has the future all plotted out. There are just a lot of hustlers on the make, guys who have friends who have friends.

The Israeli Connection has turned out to be a disaster for Israel, encouraging Israel’s enemies. YNet reports:

In a speech marking the two-year anniversary of the Second Lebanon War, Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah mocked Israel’s political and military leadership.

“The entire front line of the army’s brass stepped down because of the war. Gal Hirsch, who was defeated in Lebanon, went to Georgia and they too lost because of him,” laughed Nasrallah.

Hirsch, a brigadier-general in the reserves, served as commander of the IDF’s Galilee Division during the war and resigned in its wake. In recent years he consulted the Georgian army on the establishment of elite units and rearmament, and gave various courses in the fields of combat intelligence and fighting in built-up areas.

“Relying on Israeli experts and weapons, Georgia learned why the Israeli generals failed,” proclaimed Nasrallah, “what happened in Georgia is a message to all those the Americans are seeking to entangle in dangerous adventures.”

A Turkish news source reported that on a visit to Istanbul:

While speaking about a recent conflict between Georgia and Russia, Ahmadinejad once more addressed the United States. “It is not possible for the United States, which even failed to protect its ally Georgia, to attack Iran. The US could not even protect its own ally. US clout in world politics is decreasing. Moreover, it is in a major economic depression,” Ahmadinejad said. “We will see that the US empire will crack and eventually collapse. There is nothing that the US can do against Iran,” he added.

The Jerusalem Post reports from an Israel Foreign Ministry source, “Israel Fears War Could Hurt Iran Effort” because Russia is now less likely to cooperate with Israel and the U.S. in isolating Iran.

Georgia has turned out to be to Israel what Israel has been to the U.S.: the tail that wags the dog.

None of this was particularly planned; it just grew out of international networks, the kind of international networks that we here in the U.S. are supposed to never, ever notice.

From Haaretz of Tel Aviv (via Philip Weiss):

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili denied on Wednesday night that Israel has suspended its military aid to the country. “I haven’t heard anything about that, and I haven’t had time to think about that issue for some days,” he told Haaretz.

Saakashvili said he is aware of problems with supplying the pilotless drones that his army ordered from Israeli companies, but not of the stopping of any other shipments of military aid.

“The Israeli weapons have proved very effective,” he said at a press conference at his office. When asked whether the Israeli arms played a role in the military successes he claimed the Georgian army had achieved, he joked: “Are you asking me as a representative of Elbit [Elbit is a weapons company trading on the Nasdaq and Tel Aviv stock exchanges] or of Israel Aerospace Industries?”

To a reporter’s question about Jews who have fled the fighting and come to Israel, he said: “We have two Israeli cabinet ministers, one deals with war [Defense Minister David Kezerashvili], and the other with negotiations [State Minister for Territorial Integration Temur Yakobashvili], and that is the Israeli involvement here: Both war and peace are in the hands of Israeli Jews.”

Yakobashvili is actually not an Israeli citizen.

So, apparently, the 29-year-old Defense Minister of Georgia is an Israeli citizen. That’s kind of like John McCain appointing Ephraim Diveroli the Secretary of Defense.

Saakashvili’s statements are part of his government’s attempt to bring other countries into its war against Russia. During the briefing, Saakashvili noted that he is in constant contact with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney [uh-oh] and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He promised that U.S. warships would be docking in Georgian ports within a few days to make sure they remain open.

Saakashvili tried to project confidence during the interview, but could not completely hide the stress he is under. A few hours earlier, refugees from Gori held a spontaneous demonstration in front of parliament, calling for Saakashvili to resign.

“We will fight to the death until the last Russian soldier leaves Georgian territory,” Saakashvili told reporters. “We will never surrender.”

He characterized the announcements against him by Russia’s government, blaming him for the suffering of the Georgian people, as “typical Nazi propaganda.” He accused Russia of ethnic cleansing in the Georgian villages in the north of the country. “If Georgia falls, all of the energy supply routes will be blocked,” he said.

Saakashvili told the press conference that he expected Russia’s next victims to be the Baltic countries. He accused Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of “trying to take revenge on the United States, but instead of attacking the Sixth Fleet he found himself an easier target.”

Georgian minister slams Israeli suspension of aid
Earlier Wednesday, Yakobashvili told Haaretz that Israel has joined in the West’s betrayal of Georgia. As the official in charge of bringing Abkhazia and South Ossetia back into the fold, Yakobashvili oversaw negotiations with the Russians to end the fighting there. He warned the world that the situation would escalate into war, but the West ignored him.

“They said the Georgians are exaggerating again,” he charged.

A former Zionist leader who speaks fluent Hebrew …

But, bear in mind, not an Israeli citizen!

… Yakobashvili credited Israeli defense companies with “enabling us to train our army and giving us the possibility to withstand the Russians,” but termed the Israeli government’s decision to stop arms exports to his country “a disgrace.”

He said the West should have responded by “deploying NATO troops to defend Georgia’s vital infrastructure,” and that “Israel is betraying us, along with the European countries and the United States.”

Referring to rioting by Russian militia groups in villages surrounding Gori, Yakobashvili said: “Today there was a Cossack pogrom against the local population. As a Jew that gives me a different feeling.”

Yakobashvili blasted Israel’s decision to suspend defense aid to Georgia: “Israel did it at the Russians’ behest. It aided the terrorists, the Russians. It’s a disgrace. I don’t know what it received in return, I only see that Hezbollah continues to get Russian arms, and plenty of it.”

“Israel should protect the interests it has here,” he continued. “There are many Israeli businesspeople who invested money, and a country should protect its citizens’ investments.”

He ascribed Georgia’s feisty military ability to Israeli training, and said that Russian experts had told him “they never believed Georgia has such an army and that they would encounter such resistance.”

Yakobashvili claimed the Georgian forces had destroyed Russia’s 58th army and downed 17 planes and three helicopters (data unsubstantiated by other sources).

Judging from Yakobashvili’s complaints (as opposed to Saakashvili’s reassurances), apparently the Israeli Foreign Ministry has decided that it’s in Israel’s national interest to cut Georgia adrift and make nice with the Russians (although powerful interests within and without the Israel Defense Ministry seem to vociferously disagree). As is frequently the case, however, Israel’s most enthusiastic boosters within the U.S. don’t want America to follow Israel’s sensible policies. Instead, they want the U.S. to fight for Israeli interests that Israel is too smart to fight for itself.

Whenever I write about something like this, I get denounced for being “obsessed” with Israel. People explain to me that that’s not the whole story. The real story is Russia’s Resurgence or the Threat to Energy Supplies or Democracy Under Siege or all the themes you’ve seen headlined a hundred times in the American press.

Of course the Israeli Connection is not the whole story. I’m not the Encyclopedia Britannica. My job is to post material that is true, new, significant, and interesting / entertaining, in roughly that order. I look for angles that aren’t being given their due weight in the U.S. mainstream media. The Israeli Connection is X percent of the story in the Russian-Georgian war. Whatever X percent is, the share of American media coverage devoted to the Israeli Connection is only a tiny fraction of X percent. Go check out Google News and see how much attention the U.S. establishment press has devoted to the Israeli Connection. (The American Jewish press has been better, as usual).

As I’ve often mentioned, the most remarkable streak in sports is in the Olympic men’s 100 meter dash. The 100m competition typically starts off with about 80 entrants from around the world. After the first round, the top 40 move on to the quarterfinals, then 16 to the semifinals, and ultimately 8 to the finals.

Over the last six Olympics, 1984 through 2004, all 48 finalists have been men of West African descent.

Of the 40 survivors of the 2008 first round, there appear to be 3 East Asians (two from Japan and one from China), six Europeans (Poland, Italy Britain, Slovenia, Spain, and Russia), one or two mulattoes (e.g., Brazil), and around 30 blacks of West African descent, including the representative of Norway.

The Japanese can be pretty fast, as baseball player Ichiro Suzuki shows. Japanese runners made up 3 of the 32 semifinalists in the 1996-2000 Olympics.

Judging by the first round times, I’m assuming this streak will continue for a seventh Olympiad.

If I had to guess the man to break this string, it would be 21-year-old Craig Pickering of Milton Keynes, England. The British beat the Americans to win the gold in the 4×100 meter sprint relay in Athens in 2004, showing that they are a legitimate sprinting power, so Pickering even making the British team for the Olympics is impressive. In the first heat, Pickering ran a solid 10.21 to finish third just behind two West Indian stars, former world record holder Asafa Powell and two-time Olympic finalist Kim Collins. That made him the fastest nonblack in the world on Friday. (To be precise about this, you should adjust for wind velocity, which I haven’t done.)

But Pickering’s year probably won’t be 2008. His goal now is to make the semifinals. He’ll likely be more of a threat when he’s at his 25-year-old peak at the 2012 Games in front of the hometown crowd in London.

Pickering told the Guardian:

“I only get bothered when I’m asked about the race issue. I don’t believe I can’t run 100m in 9.99 because I’m white.

Of the 364 times that human beings have run under 10.00 seconds, only once was by somebody not of largely or completely West African descent — Patrick Johnson of Australia, who is half Irish, half Australian Aborigine. (A Pole and a Japanese have run ten flat.)

“And I don’t believe black sprinters think that just because of their colour they’re automatically going to run under 10 seconds without working hard. But I don’t like these questions because I’m scared of saying something that might offend black people – or even white people.” …

The prospect of both Pickering and Aikines-Aryeetey improving markedly between now and the London Olympics needs to be considered in light of Colin Jackson’s recent assertion that it would take a miracle for a British athlete to win gold on the track in 2012. “I actually endorse that,” Pickering says, while acknowledging that Jackson’s formidable record as a world champion hurdler was also forged under Arnold’s coaching. “If you look at the current state of British athletics, it is going to need a small miracle. America can produce 10 great new athletes a year. Nine of them might go to American football but the 10th will probably still beat most European athletes. The Americans won’t be quaking that I’ve run 60m in 6.55. Next year in the indoor world championships they’ll probably have three athletes running under 6.50 – so in that sense we might need a miracle.”

And yet Pickering’s strong displays this year are striking especially because, as he points out, “60m is not my best distance. I’m much more suited to the 100m and I’ll be 25 in 2012 – which is the perfect age for a sprinter. So who knows?”

UPDATE: Spoiler Alert

Pickering ran the 17th fastest time in the quarterfinals, 10.18, just missing moving on to the semifinals of 16. The only semifinalist not of West African black descent is a Japanese runner, who had, I believe, the slowest time of all the semifinalists, a few hundredths of a second slower than Pickering, but in an easier heat.