Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Mixed Truth of the Russia-Georgia War

By Ivan Eland
August 21, 2008

Despite significant U.S. and Georgian culpability in the crisis in Georgia, most U.S. politicians and media painted Russia as the diabolical “evildoer.”

As if the Russian military incursions into Georgia, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia — the latter two are autonomous regions of the former that do not want to be part of that country — happened out of the blue, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice implied that Russia was attempting to bring back the Cold War.

Read on.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mr. Eland, the issue is that the USA was not only informed about the Georgian plan to terrify South Ossetians into leaving but that US military personnel and those of Israel were involved in directing this murderous terror and ethnic cleansing campaign against an undefended city containing no military objectives. The US military advisors and contractors oversaw the murder of innocent civilians in a campaign of indiscriminate fire from artillery, grad rockets and bombing. The United States involvement in planning and directing this campaign against civilians and civil infrastructure violates the US Constitution, the Geneva Convention and the UN Charter. Tens of thousands of innocent civilians were uprooted by this campaign, thousands were injured and one thousand five hundred were killed in the attack and vast areas of the city including its hospitals, schools, water supply, transportation, and electrical support infrastructure was destroyed. This attack had no military purpose other than to terrorize these Ossetian citizens of Georgia into leaving their country in such numbers that their political relevance could be ignored to the benefit of ethnic Georgian lebensraum. The United States was attempting to create in Georgia another Israel surrounded by displaced citizens and threatened nations. Most Georgians want peace and prosperity with the religious and ethnic minorities with whom they share this country. The United States sees these ethnic communities as an opportunity foment instability and dislocation. It seems as though the USA has learned a move from Stalin's playbook. We don't need the invention of another Israel in the Caucasus to carry bombs and death for NeoCon America.
Michael Major\\
Canada

M Henri Day said...

To follow up on Michael Major's perceptive commentary, we need to ask why «(4) guarantee the international border integrity of Georgia» should be one of the United States' «foreign goals in the current Georgia-Russia conflict». This would mean compelling South Ossetians and Abkhazians to submit to Georgian state sovereignty, something which they have never done and which can only be achieved by force of arms - precisely the means the Georgian regime attempted to use in launching their attack on South Ossetia. Can this be regarded as in the «national interest» of the people of the United States (as opposed to those of its ruling elite, who are satisfied with nothing less than «full-spectrum dominance» of the whole world) ?...

The break-up of the Soviet Union has hitherto occurred with little bloodshed - very much less than could have been expected. A US foreign policy in the interests of the people of the United States and those of the whole world would be one which sought to see that the continuation of this break-up, of which the present conflict in the Caucasus constitutes a part, also occurs with as little bloodshed as possible. Any US policy which attempts to guarantee «the international border integrity of Georgia», aside from being nugatory, is guaranteed to have the opposite effect....

Henri

Anonymous said...

I would like to compliment both of the writers for their great insight into a conflict of chose. I find it hard to believe that Georgia just decided one day to murder those sleeping people without the permission of the United States, unfortunately, the Georgian president expected more for the $800,000 lobbying fee,to McCains camp then he could really delivered. But the situation served McCain well, it allowed him to jump out front and do a lot of sabber rattling which also rallied his base. My question is how do all of those who support him feel about his comments yesterday at the town hall and at the forum. He,s want to destroy all evil using military force, and he agreed with one of his audience questioners regarding reinstating the draft...he maybe able to force people to serve, but this country is broke, were is that money suppose to come from...more from China.

Anonymous said...

Ah, but you assume there is no interest in reviving the Cold War. The terrorist threat confuses us with all the related talk about weak or corrupt states and poverty in the world. China might have been a good candidate but we have become so interdependent economically and financially that open hostility is hardly a good idea. But Russia... now there was an enemy worthy of the name. Yes, bring back the good old days of the Cold War.

Anonymous said...

Truth about Georgia war in Ossetia that is overlooked by BBC and CNN

At 7 p.m. on August 8, the day when Olympics started, worldwide community heard from CNN and BBC news that Russian tanks invaded Georgia and that Russia started war with Georgia.

That the war had begun 16 hours earlier by Georgian president Sukashvili’s order these media preferred to pass over in silence.

But you have the right to know truth. That’s how this really happened:

According to old tradition of Olympic Games’ eve everyone was looking for peace and quiet. On August 7, Georgian and South Ossetian officials agreed to observe a ceasefire and hold debates in attempt to solve their long-term conflict peacefully.

August 8, 00:06
Just hours later, six minutes past midnight on August 8, inhabitants of Ossetian capital Tskhinvali, peacefully sleeping in their beds, heard dreadful whizz of incoming rockets. The hell followed soon... Without any declaration Georgian forces launched massive shelling of Tskhinvali with all available means, including heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems GRAD. In this massacre, in just several hours, the whole city was ruined: 2,000 human lives wasted and most buildings demolished. Georgian military expedition, called “Clean field”, yielded its first fruits…

August 8, 03:00
Georgian army occupied five Ossetian villages, burning them to ashes.

August 8, 03:30
Georgian tanks started attack on Tskhinvali. Ossetian militia stood up to the enemy but could not keep back 30-times outnumbering Georgian forces. Many basements where Ossetins tried to escape shelling were showered with grenades. At the very same time, Georgian “peacekeepers”, serving in South Ossetia, launched unexampled attack on their yesterday’s colleagues, Russian peacekeepers, managing to kill at least 10 of them.

August 8, 04:33
Russia called for UN Security Council meeting to put a stop to Georgian military aggression and seize fire. No decision was delivered at neither this nor several following meetings.

August 8, 09:00
Russian Prime Minister Putin informed President Bush that Georgia launched war against Ossetia. Mr. Bush answered that “nobody wanted this war”.

Ossetia was praying for help. It was already obvious that “clean field” meant nothing else but ethnical cleansing. In these circumstances, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced that Russia would defend Russian citizens who constitute 90% of South Ossetia population.

August 8, 16:00
Russian forces overstepped mountain pass and made their way toward perishing Ossetins. That was exactly the moment when CNN and BBC finally “noticed” the war and broadcasted their «Russians invaded Georgia» scenes. Sukashvili announced that Russia invaded Georgia and held back that he started this horrible bloodshed himself.

Before midnight, Russian and Ossetian forces kicked aggressors out of Ossetian capital. Survived citizens started to leave basements to escape the city. In the next couple days around 30,000 refugees fled to Russia.

Failed Georgian assault turned to informational blackout and devilish propaganda by politicized media feeding us their lies. It’s time when so much depends on your personal position! I believe that there will be journalists who can give objective picture of these events. I believe in people of peace who will regard an attempt of massive extermination of small nation as genocide (3% of South Ossetins and 0.3% of all Ossetins worldwide were killed in just one night on August 8; fascists have never achieved that efficiency in exterminating Jewish people even when Auschwitz and Treblinka were working at full capacity). I believe in a world community that will view Sukashvili’s inhuman orders as a war crime and an outrage on humanity. I believe in you, thinking person, able to confront with facts, person who will not follow barefaced propaganda of deeply corrupt media, person able to recognize truth!


Best on www.youtube.com about Georgia war in Ossetia and Georgian Führer:

“The truth about South Ossetia War”
“12 Year Old Girl Tells the Truth about Georgia”
“Gorbachev explaining that Georgia attacked Russia”
“Gergiev told the truth about Tskhinvali Ossetia Georgia War”
“Saakashvili Runs For Cover”
“Saakashvili eats own tie”


Gallup data on Georgia and Russia (www.gallup.com):

1) Facts about “free speech” in Georgia and Lithuania. In your opinion, how many people in your country, if any, ARE AFRAIED to openly express their political views?
Ukraine: 30% in 2007, 35% in 2008
Russia: 30% in 2007, 40% in 2008
Lithuania (UN and NATO member): 30% in 2007, 55% in 2008
Georgia: 25% in 2007, 55% in 2008

2) Facts about Georgian/Sukashvili’s government “caring” about people. Have there been times in the past 12 months when you or your family have gone hungry?
1. Russia: 3%
2. Armenia: 4%
3. Belarus: 4%

10. Georgia: 18%

3) Facts about “democracy” in Georgia and Ukraine.
3.1) How satisfied are you with the way democracy works in your country?
Georgia 2007: Satisfied 14%, Dissatisfied 37%, Neither 47
Ukraine 2007: Satisfied 15%

3.2) In Ukraine, do you have confidence in the following?
National government: 10% Yes, 80% No
Judicial system and courts: 10% Yes, 75% No
Honesty of elections: 10% Yes, 70% No

4) Facts about ordinary Ukrainians “striving” for NATO and western “democracy” and “hating” for Russia.
4.1) Do you approve or disapprove the job performance of the leadership of the following countries?
Ukrainians about Ukrainian leadership: 7% approve, 73% disapprove
Ukrainians about US leadership: 16% approve, 51% disapprove
Ukrainians about Russian leadership: 53% approve, 24% disapprove

4.2) Is it more important for Ukraine to have close relations with Russia or with the United States?
46% of Ukrainians say it is more important to have close relations with Russia even if it might hurt relations with the USA
10% of Ukrainians say it is more important to have close relations with USA even if it might hurt relations with the Russia



Blogs about war in Ossetia:
www.truth-about-war-in-ossetia.blogspot.com
www.truth-about-war-in-ossetia.blog.com

Anonymous said...

Really.