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  'A Lack of Leadership in Germany': The Georgia Crisis as Our Readers See It

'A Lack of Leadership in Germany' The Georgia Crisis as Our Readers See It

Part 4: 'Russia Is Not a Democratic Nation'

Dear SPIEGEL ONLINE,

Putin has made it clear Russia is not a democratic nation interested in peace. Rather it is hell bent on returning to the ways of Stalin. Russia under Putin is making sure those nations that broke from the Soviet Union and embraced democracy and the West will obey Russia….

While the West has appeased him, Putin has gotten most of Europe dependent on Russian oil and gas. Europe is now in a quandary: do they confront Russia's aggression and risk Putin cutting off oil and gas supplies or do they reward this tyrant and let him control Georgia and install his puppet government?

Many of us hoped for that large "Peace Dividend" resulting from the end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union. However, Mr. Putin has proved that Russia is to be every bit the threat to a peaceful Europe the Soviets were. There is a saying, "those that refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Time and again democratic nations have allowed nations like Putin's Russia to rampage over their neighbors, only to have to fight a much larger and costlier battle later on.

-- Richard Street, South Carolina

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