George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 248

< 247 >

The Olympics are usually a big deal only in the host country. Other countries mostly just watch on TV, focusing on their medal count. However, these Olympics held special significance beyond just Greece. Its biggest draw was that it marked the return of the games to Greece after nearly 108 years.

To be honest, there was a real risk of postponement or cancellation due to the Super SARS outbreak. But thanks to the rapid development and distribution of treatments and vaccines, the hosting issues and concerns about box office success were smoothly resolved. While distribution was still underway, all of Europe had been covered, with some countries even producing their own vaccines.

Most countries that hadn’t yet received the vaccines or were still in the process were underdeveloped nations that hadn’t invested sufficiently in healthcare. This was a natural consequence in a capitalist society, but it became a major point of criticism during elections due to ethical considerations. Still, it was more of an annoyance than a serious threat.

A magnificent opening ceremony unfolded, reinterpreting and showcasing various forms of Greek art. It was no exaggeration to say that anyone with money and a love for celebrations, even from foreign countries, had flocked to Athens.

And among them, of course, was President George W. Bush. He visited under the pretense of diplomacy, but anyone familiar with President Bush knew that diplomacy wasn’t his primary motivation.

Unfortunately, Vladimir Putin was seated right next to him, resulting in visibly uncomfortable expressions from both leaders. Other leaders and high-ranking officials seemed eager to avoid being caught in this awkward atmosphere, so they were seated at least one seat away from Bush and Putin.

This childish battle of nerves was a form of diplomacy in itself. Moreover, even though the power struggle seemed petty, it was being waged by two individuals who could inflict tens, if not hundreds, of millions of casualties with a mere gesture, making it far from trivial.

In any case, their general exchange went something like this:

“President Putin, I trust you are well. You appear a bit thinner than I recall. Are you on a diet?”

“Not at all. I’ve simply been dealing with some challenges lately. President Bush, on the other hand, seems to be in excellent shape, suggesting a life of comfort?”

“This opening ceremony is truly magnificent, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Indeed, I do. Wouldn’t you say it’s one of the most meaningful Olympics ever held?”

Even after this initial exchange, they continued to engage in outwardly friendly diplomatic rhetoric and etiquette, but sharp barbs were hidden beneath their polite words. Putin, in particular, glared at Bush with palpable animosity.

‘I will never forget the atrocities you committed against our country.’

The atrocities referred to large-scale espionage incidents. Russia had been forced to alter or scrap many of its new weapon designs, and Putin’s hold on power had been threatened by the oil war instigated by the United States and Saudi Arabia. It would have been surprising if he didn’t harbor resentment.

‘Hahaha! What do you hope to achieve by glaring at me? Keep it up. You won’t be able to stand tall for decades to come.’

Bush smiled outwardly, but inwardly he was gloating. The smile he displayed was a political facade, but his inner amusement was genuine. While conversing with Putin, Bush had to remain constantly vigilant to prevent his outward and inward expressions from betraying him. Even now, he nearly burst out laughing several times.

Then, suddenly, Putin received some news. His expression turned serious, and he addressed Bush directly.

“Georgia has initiated a war by invading South Ossetia. The shelling by Georgian forces has resulted in the deaths of 240 of our Russian troops stationed in South Ossetia, and we have automatically entered the conflict.”

“What?”

Bush rarely displayed such a dumbfounded expression.

‘Why would Georgia suddenly do this?’

He was caught completely off guard by the unexpected outbreak of war. Bush, aware of how Georgia had provoked the conflict, had almost entirely cut off military support to Georgia. There was minimal support to begin with, but he had eliminated even that.

Of course, he had approved Georgia’s NATO membership because there was no reason to refuse, but he had refused support. He hadn’t paid much attention since then, but the fact that they had started a war meant they must be confident of winning.

‘Could it be that these bastards are relying on the EU?’

After eliminating all other unlikely possibilities, only the EU remained. The EU had been consistently stationing EU forces in the Middle East and providing military support to help them defend themselves from various rebels and terrorists. In the process, the military power of the Middle East was dramatically strengthened.

Of course, the stated purpose was to promote self-defense, but in reality, it was about creating hunting dogs. It was done with the idea of ending the situation in the Middle East rather than dragging what started in the Middle East to Europe. In the process, they also established pro-European governments and shaped public opinion. Public opinion wasn’t working out so well, but even just putting a leash on the governments was enough.

For example, they could buy fighter jets, but they would need European companies to maintain them, wouldn’t they? Of course, they could accumulate technical skills by taking them apart and examining them, but there were limits. There’s a reason why electronics and car companies urge people to use genuine products. In any case, since weapons were unified with European-made weapons for free, it was natural for them to become pro-European.

‘No, even so, that alone doesn’t explain it.’

When you ask, ‘What kind of war is the South Ossetia War?’ you might think of a war between countries, but in reality, South Ossetia is an unrecognised state within Georgia. In other words, South Ossetia was an independent but not independent country.

To put it more simply, in the past, the South Ossetia region revolted and declared independence, and Georgia suppressed it by force. However, it could not be easily suppressed, and South Ossetia eventually gained half-baked independence.

Georgia would not just stand by and watch this half-baked independence, and after 17 years of biding their time, they believed in the checks and balances between Europe, the United States, and Russia. They miscalculated that even if they attacked South Ossetia now, Russia would not attack Georgia, and they launched a full-scale invasion of South Ossetia.

There are some more details in between, but that’s the general outline. However, now that they are already trying to make the Kurds independent while bearing excessive bleeding, if Georgia suppresses South Ossetia, would they help with this?

The conclusion is, ‘There is no reason for the EU to support this war.’

‘Are these bastards destined to miscalculate no matter what?’

In time-traveling science fiction novels, everything is already determined like fate, so no matter how much you struggle, things flow as in the original history. Of course, if the world worked that way, then all of Bush’s actions should have failed, so that probably wouldn’t happen.

‘A South Ossetia war four years early. Huh.’

As Bush fell into thought without giving a proper answer, Putin, who had been watching him, got up from his seat first. It was truly unfortunate that he could not see the entire beautiful opening ceremony, but this was nothing compared to the security of the country.

“I must get up from my seat now. The country has entered a state of war, so I cannot just be watching the Olympics like this.”

“It was nice meeting you.”

On the surface, they were friendly until the end, but of course, inside, they were shuddering, hoping never to see each other again. However, Bush had no way of knowing that. Putin’s departure was buried in the splendor of the opening ceremony and disappeared like a mirage.

‘I need to find out if what I’m thinking is correct. But wait a minute. The number of casualties is 240? That’s a bit much.’

Why are Russian troops stationed in South Ossetia? Russia was dispatched as a peacekeeping force. That’s right, the ‘UN forces’ wearing blue helmets. They may be wearing Kevlar now, but the helmets were generally blue.

With Russia’s mediation, South Ossetia and Georgia signed a ceasefire agreement. However, it was almost impossible for South Ossetia, which had only a few cities and villages, to easily prevent another invasion by Georgia. The UN peacekeeping force was dispatched to guard the border of South Ossetia.

The problem was that the UN forces were ‘Russian troops.’ And because they were invaded, the UN forces had the ‘obligation’ to stop it. Therefore, the Russian troops had the justification to counterattack Georgia as a peacekeeping force, and as a result, they could make South Ossetia independent.

Of course, they would call it independence but practically merge it, but in war, ‘justification’ is more important than anything else.

Bush picked up his cell phone. The cell phone was the first smartphone that had recently been developed. It had not been announced yet, but in order to maximize the advertising effect, only one in the world was personally delivered to Bush for his exclusive use. It also contained gratitude for the investment he had made.

‘The performance is somewhat lower than what I know. But so what? It will get better over time anyway.’

There are some errors in the details, but the basics are the same. Most importantly, it was definitely something that could be called a smartphone. The touch screen was also capacitive. Of course, since the company, developers, and marketers were the same, the product name was also the same.

‘iPhone, huh.’

It was scheduled to be announced during the Olympics. He was worried that there might be bugs, but maybe because they poured money into it, there weren’t any. The phone worked very well.

“Chief of Staff. What are the results? Is what I’m thinking correct?”

– Yes, it’s so perfectly correct that it’s a little creepy. They have already requested NATO and the EU to stop Russia at the same time as the outbreak of the war. And of course, the EU refused.

“Damn it. It will be difficult for us to move as well. But there’s not much reason to move in the first place.”

He let out a long sigh that he was not very involved in this war.

“Did the Vice President say anything? For example, that we should advance into South Ossetia.”

– Huh, you’re like a ghost. How did you know?

That’s because he was the one who insisted on advancing into South Ossetia in the original history. He has yielded somewhat in several parts, but his personality would not have changed now. And Bush’s answer was the same as in the original history.

“No advance. Tell him that. However, if Russia goes beyond Georgia and threatens us, then we may really have to participate as NATO. Does Georgia have any other allies? I mean, allies who have decided to participate in this war.”

– No. Even if there were, would they want to participate?

“That’s true.”

Even though Russia has weakened due to some recent unfortunate events, Russia is still Russia. There are hardly any countries on this planet that want to fight Russia.

– Just watch it moderately and come back. There are still many documents, even though they have decreased a bit.

“They will decrease even more soon. To the level of other presidents in history.”