NATO chief cranks up the rhetoric again.

While geo-political factors are taking a back seat in the present turmoil (where the fate of AIG and Fed monetary policy are to the fore), it might well do to keep a weathered eye on developments in the Caucasus. NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, in a speech at Tibilisi University, has again given a strong message of support to Georgia. The official declared that Russian tanks and troops cannot block Georgia from joining NATO, but did conceed that there was internal disagreement among members over how long the process should take. Russia is totally opposed to its neighbour joining NATO and this sort of gung-ho rhetoric isn’t going to go down well in Moscow.