Russia tramples on Georgia
If the Kremlin can, to all intents and purposes, annex South Ossetia, what is to stop it absorbing other parts of the former Soviet Union with Russian populations, asks a Telegraph leader? Might Russia not claim the right to act in defence of ethnic Russians in the Baltic states, or demand a land corridor to Kaliningrad, or the secession of the Russophile parts of Ukraine, or formal union with Belarus? In retrospect, the West mishandled relations with Russia in the 1990s. As with Germany after 1918, we went from unconscionable harshness to appeasement, with almost no intermediate stage. Had we been a little less triumphalist at the end of the Cold War, a bruised Russian population might not have responded to the strongman appeal of Mr Putin. Leader Daily Telegraph
Full article: War in Georgia needs to be stopped before it spreads further 
Russia knew the West wouldn't dare step in
There are troubling signs in some of the victory statements coming out of Moscow yesterday that Russia may feel emboldened to impose a punitive settlement, perhaps by annexing territory, writes David Clark. This is not something that the EU and its allies should be prepared to tolerate. As so often with bullies, the Russian government's behaviour disguises deep insecurity and a craving for respect. This makes it more susceptible to our opinions than we often think. Further aggressive steps against Georgia would certainly be a reason to reconsider whether Russia should continue to enjoy the prestige that comes with membership of the G8. David Clark The Guardian
Full article: The west can no longer stand idle while the Russian bully wreaks havoc
Tskhinvali is not Sarejevo in 1914, says Bruce Anderson. South Ossetia will not be the start-line of the Third World War. But it is a ghastly mess. Rather than waiting for the Russians to instil the fear of death, the West should have taught Georgia the facts of life. We ought to have reminded them that they were living in a dangerous neighbourhood. A small nation that has only recently become independent from a neighbouring superpower still resentful at many of the changes which have overtaken it must tread warily. Eighty per cent of Georgians would like to join Nato. One suspects that a similar percentage of Taiwanese would like to become fully independent. Neither country is in the position to conduct its foreign affairs by writing letters to Santa Claus. Bruce Anderson The Independent
Full article: The West must share the blame for war in Georgia
How should we ration health?
The calls for a proper debate about health rationing go on, writes Libby Purves. Governments freeze at the very idea. Who wants to be in charge - and facing the artfully heartbreaking media tales of deserving cases - at the moment when such rules are laid down? Imagine yourself PM when it is firmly stated that IVF can't be funded because infertility is not life-threatening whereas cancer is; that drunkards, smokers and addicts are required to get clean before any but emergency treatment; that stomach-banding is subject to co-payment in arrears since you'll be eating less; or that life-extending (as opposed to palliative or Alzheimer's) treatments cease at 85? Imagine being the hard-hearted monster who rules that under-50s, breadwinners and parents of young families get formal priority with new cancer drugs. Libby Purves The Times
Full article: NHS rationing is a reality we should deal with
The end of living and start of survival
The idea that we could adapt to a 4 degree temperature rise is absurd and dangerous, says Oliver Tickell. Global warming on this scale would be a catastrophe that would mean, in the immortal words that Chief Seattle probably never spoke, "the end of living and the beginning of survival" for humankind. Or perhaps the beginning of our extinction. The collapse of the polar ice caps would become inevitable, bringing long-term sea level rises of 70-80 metres. All the world's coastal plains would be lost, complete with ports, cities, transport and industrial infrastructure, and much of the world's most productive farmland. Weather would become extreme and unpredictable, with more frequent and severe droughts, floods and hurricanes. The Earth's carrying capacity would be hugely reduced. Billions would undoubtedly die. Oliver Tickell The Guardian
Full article: On a planet 4C hotter, all we can prepare for is extinction
Obsessed with children
I wonder when we started fetishising children, writes Rachel Cooke. Perhaps, in the beginning, it was guilt. We worked, therefore we compensated. Some women started having children later, and were thus more grateful at their arrival. But it's gone way beyond such things now. Beyond reason, and beyond good manners. These days, say 'Be quiet, I'm reading' to a child and it's tantamount to abuse. Once, children were discouraged from interrupting adults. Now, you're mid-anecdote with your dear, long-lost girlfriend, when little Balthazar comes up and says something like: 'You know that dog? Where does he live? Does he live on television?' and thereafter, even if you announced you were dating a cabinet minister or about to join a lesbian order of nuns in Kuala Lumpur, it wouldn't make any difference: conversationally speaking, you're chopped liver.
Rachel Cooke The Observer
Full article: Mothers are to blame for this child-obsessed society of ours
