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August 26, 2008

Richard Wales, MEI Network, Silver Contributor (55)

I agree except that Russia and the U.S. both prefer to fight by proxy. We in the U.S were stupid enough to put the same individuals back in power who brought us the cold war and Vietnam. It's the same M.O. and the same results of death, destruction and enrichment of the dinosaurs in power. To simplify: Are we going to have a general energy war? If we don't get rid of the influence and power of the people who are profiting from the chaos we are. We need to stop looking at the U.S., looking at Russia, looking at Europe and look at the money trail. None of this is about anything but money and the people collecting the money will have our children fight to the last drop of their blood for it. The rule of thumb is "If it doesn't make sense, there's another agenda. Just stop watching their mouths move, you know they never address the public unless they have a lie they want to tell. Watch what they do and follow the money instead.

August 28, 2008

Patrick Edwin Moran, Wake Forest University, Silver Contributor (55)

Why does either side in a conflict want any relatively small area with a minority population? In some cases it could be stupid egocentric jealousies over a territory whose liabilities outweigh its positive side. In some cases it could be the military value of something like a strategic mountain pass, and in such cases there could also be expansionist interests on one or both sides. In some cases the area being struggled over could contain rich natural resources.

The struggle over South Ossetia, as I understand it, is a long-term problem. In an ideal world, self-determination might lead to an independent nation called Ossetia. In a world in which Russia would both like to expand and also to create a buffer zone around itself, the geopolitical value of the area might be preeminent. That's not to single Russia out for blame because the West has been willing to expand its own sphere of power too. If the land involved were good for little other than grazing sheep and goats, then the above factors would probably have to be involved. If the land contains rich natural resources, then the struggle could be over the opportunity to exploit these resources. The world has also seen nations that would like to split into two or more pieces so that the region with the better resources would not have to share them with the poorer parts of the original nation. None of these things are very beautiful.

During the lifetime of the Soviet Union, a small area like South Ossetia would have had no chance for autonomy. And a similar small region forming part of a larger nation not a part of the Soviet Union might well have been unwilling to become independent from a larger nation for fear of being absorbed by the Soviet Union. In the present, those and similar forces tending to maintain traditional boundaries have weakened because it is no longer quite so lonesome to be a smaller nation in the vicinity of giants. Unfortunately for the peace and longevity of such small nations, traditional antagonisms still mean that they may be coerced in one way or another. Furthermore, as energy resources dwindle further and overpopulation, new migration pressures build up because of stronger imbalances between resources and population numbers, etc., these smaller nations will become more likely targets of their neighbors if they have already become detached, or they will be the targets for struggles of the South Ossetia type.

In a very optimistic frame of mind one might imagine that the antipathies between nations such as Russia and the West would gradually fade away, making it easier and easier for small nations to go about their independent lives unmolested. However, barring a general human die-out from some epidemic disease, the pressure of population against non-elastic resources will make them prizes for their larger neighbors.

This and similar struggles will become more and more difficult to pacify.

September 10, 2008

David Dzidzikashvili

Georgia Did Not Start the War: The Russians did!

Since beginning of August 2008, the Russian “Peacekeepers” together with Ossetian illegal militia have been ethnically cleansing Georgian villages and killing innocent civilians! Just think about this…

Many experts and diplomats wondered whether the Russian government is sick with xenophobia and with the nostalgia of "good, old Soviet Union" is trying to revive the forgotten empire. Or maybe they are just playing a very stupid game that will have extremely severe consequences to the future of Russia and its citizens.

It is not a new fact that the people from Caucasus republics are constantly being discriminated in Russia, are targets of Russian neo-Nazi groups and live second class citizens lives. The Russian government never tried to understand the mentality, culture and social norms of the people from the Caucasus region. Throughout history the Russian empire or the Soviets or Putin's regime have been applying one rule to the Caucasus region in order to maintain control over it: divide and conquer! Putin successfully fueled ethnic tensions between various Caucasus nationalities, so they all had to look up to the Russians for help and the roots of this policy date back to Tsar's Russian Empire, when the Russians were only able to take control over Caucasus with the help of Caucasus nations, primarily the Georgians. The Georgians thought they were doing a favor and Tsar would leave them alone to govern their own lives, but the Georgians were wrong.

After the collapse of Soviet Union the Russian government successfully fueled ethnic tensions between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, Georgians and Ossetians, Georgians and Abkhazians, Ingushis and Ossetians, etc… This was the only strategy and the only game the Russian rulers played by: fuel hatred, divide the territories, resettle and arm the people so there will be no peace until the Russian soldier places his foot in the region. And of course, the Russian army is known for their outstanding performance in "peacekeeping" missions that have carried out, being involved in genocide, ethnic cleansing (Georgians in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Chechen civilians), rape, murder, torture and the list goes on. At the end it seems that the Russian "peacekeeping mission" is not that peaceful at all.

It is evident that the Russian political system always been in shape of a Pyramid, where all the political and economic control spheres of country is divided between a leader (Czar, or Secretary General or Prime Minister) at the top, who has a direct control and right hand support of secret service at one angle and military at the other. This is the heart of the Russian political life and everything else develops around it. With a strong propaganda machine, complete control over Russian citizens is assured, as well as "democratic" elections where one candidate always receives the vast majority (if not all) of the votes and there never seems to be opposition to the candidate. And what about the President Medvedev? He is just another toy in Putin's closet…

Putin decided to send a strong signal to the world and wished to overthrow the Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, but he failed. He strongly believes that the fate of the Georgian people depends on his wishes and is determine to shape the borders of another sovereign country. This move directly threatens the World Order established after World War II. The current World Order is not perfect, but so far, with its deficiencies it is working.

After the brief war with Georgia, the Russian government tried to justify its move by saying that the Georgians started the war. Here is the first lie! The Georgian government has been saying since beginning of August 2008 that the situation in South Ossetia is escalating and the Russian "peacekeepers" are staging provocations together with illegal armed forces of South Ossetian separatist regime. They started killing Georgian police officers and firing artillery shells at the Georgian villages located in South Ossetia, but the world was preoccupied with getting ready for the opening ceremony of Beijing 2008 Olympics.

When the Georgian government officials told the Europeans in Brussels that we were at the brink of war, the Europeans politely warned the Georgians not to use the word "war" in the city of Brussels, because they do not like the word "war." It seems that old Europe is getting older each day and with the age, because numerous warnings and cries by the Georgian officials fell on the deaf ears of old Europe. Never mind the fact that it took Hitler conquering Poland and Czechoslovakia, before the Western Europe realized this was a war.

And what about the Americans? The American society is in the midst of elections, the Democrats want to see Europe take more responsibility for security in Caucasus region, the Republicans are divided and worried about gay marriage and abortion rights… The friends of Georgia in new Europe are trying everything to force the old Europe take harsher approach towards Russia, but Europe is dependent on Russian natural gas and oil.
Giving up on a young democracy does not seem plausible for the Europeans, but the old Europe is scared of the new Russian bear. The new Russia is controlled by a xenophobic psychopath who has decided to break all the rules of the game, in order to change those rules. And the question comes: how can you stop a bully? Everyone can keep condemning the Russian government, but that paper will wind up in Putin's toilet again… The only way to stop a bully is bully up against the bully – simple rule of life.

With the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the Russian government has proven the world that they will violate international laws whenever they feel like it and they will use aggression in the name of peace as they did in Prague 1968. If the world would not stand up for Georgia, who will be the next prey of the hungry Russian bear? Maybe Ukraine? Or Moldova? Or who knows… The Russian government is as unpredictable as the weather in England…

The Georgian people are united and stand united, we have survived the onslaught by Mongols, Persians, Arabs, Turk-Seljuks throughout the history and we have still survived and we are not scared of the Russian bear either.

Just last question to Mr. Putin. Mr. Putin, if you are so concerned about the freedom of small minorities, why not recognize the independence of Chechnya? Then Daghestan? Then Ingushetia? And then all the other autonomous republics where the citizens do not even speak Russian? Think about that at first and then lets discuss the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, after 300,000 Georgian refugees return to their own homes.
And to my fellow Abkhazian and South Ossetian brothers and sisters. Yes, there will be dancing and celebration in Sokhumi and Tskinvali. Yes, you will be smiling and waving flags - Georgian flags of course….

September 13, 2008

A Russian in Germany

"It is difficult to resist the temptation to ask a rhetorical question: If GE turns its orientation to west, is it necessary that its hind legs must kick RU in the teeth?"

... while RU keeps on chewing GE's tail...

I don't think that Russia has any conscientious policy towards, well, whatever. If it had, it would be much easier to deal with Russia. Now, when there is no even an ideological agenda USSR once pushed for, Russian actions are less predictable and more dangerous than ever. So the policy of containment is of far more importance (for Europe in the first place.) It is a pity that European leftists don't understand this.