Aug 12 2008

Real News: Who’s To Blame For The Russian Georgian Conflict?



August 12, 2008 – 6 min 8 sec

Pepe Escobar: Georgia is a strategic client state of the US with close ties to the Bush administration

Georgian troops launched an aerial bombardment and ground attack on its separatist province of South Ossetia on Thursday. South Ossetians want to join up with their ethnic brethren in North Ossetia, an autonomous republic within the Russian Federation. Seeing this as an act of aggression Russia launched bombing raids against Georgia, vowing to defend its citizens. More than half of South Ossetia’s citizens are said to have taken up Moscow’s offer of a Russian passport. Pepe Escobar believes that “the hypocrisy of the international community knows no bounds for if the West forced the issue of Kosovar independence then the independence of South Ossetia should also be on the cards.”

Pepe Escobar, born in Brazil is the roving correspondent for Asia Times and an analyst for The Real News Network. He’s been a foreign correspondent since 1985, based in London, Milan, Los Angeles, Paris, Singapore, and Bangkok. Since the late 1990s, he has specialized in covering the arc from the Middle East to Central Asia, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has made frequent visits to Iran and is the author of Globalistan and also Red Zone Blues: A Snapshot of Baghdad During the Surge both published by Nimble Books in 2007.

25 comments

Skip to comment form

    • Edger on August 12, 2008 at 15:12
      Author
    • #

    Taking advantage of Bush’s weakening of America’s power on the world stage to give him a parting slap in the face while he reasserts Russia as a major power?

  2. Georgian conflict?

    Did U.S., Israel Provocateur S. Ossetia Conflict? Does the Sun Come Up in the Morning?

    . . . . Russia accuses U.S. of orchestrating conflict

    “Russian officials believe that it was the USA that orchestrated the current conflict. The chairman of the State Duma Committee for Security, Vladimir Vasilyev, believes that the current conflict is South Ossetia is very reminiscent to the wars in Iraq and Kosovo,” reports Pravda, the Russian newspaper. . . .

    “The things that were happening in Kosovo, the things that were happening in Iraq – we are now following the same path. The further the situation unfolds, the more the world will understand that Georgia would never be able to do all this without America. South Ossetian defense officials used to make statements about imminent aggression from Georgia, but the latter denied everything, whereas the US Department of State released no comments on the matter. In essence, they have prepared the force, which destroys everything in South Ossetia, attacks civilians and hospitals. They are responsible for this. The world community will learn about it,” Vasilyev told Pravda. . . .

    U.S. military holds “exercises” in Georgia immediately prior to conflict

    Last month, Aljazeera reported that “a total of around 1,650 soldiers form the US, Georgia and several other East European countries, have begun exercises on the formerly Russian-controlled Vaziani base, the Georgian defense ministry said.” . . . .

    Here are a couple of other reads to digest:

    Did U.S., Israel Provocateur S. Ossetia Conflict?

    EU-Digest: : Special Report: Russia, Georgia and US: The infernal logic of mutual escalation

    Looking at the map of the area:



    Click to enlarge!

    Note S. Ossetia’s location vis-a-vis the Caspian Sea and Iran!  No, this just couldn’t have anything to do with Iran, could it?

    And China has her interests, too!

    China lays down gauntlet in energy war

    Greater China

    Dec 21, 2005  

    China lays down gauntlet in energy war

    By F William Engdahl

    On December 15, the state-owned China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) inaugurated an oil pipeline running from Kazakhstan to northwest China. The pipeline will undercut the geopolitical significance of the Washington-backed Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC)oil pipeline which opened this past summer amid big fanfare and support from Washington. . . .

    With all that’s going on, do you suppose there’s anyone, anyone at all, interested in preventing World War III?

  3. …and unfortunately, most Americans (myself included) have to this point been largely ignorant of the whole history.  Of course, each individual’s history and pre- conceived notions also influence our perceptions, which makes objectivity all the more difficult.

    This diary offered some insight to the other side of the story that hasn’t really been covered on the cable “news” reports I’ve seen.  There also was a link to this Mikhail Gorbachev WaPo article A Path to Peace in the Caucasus.  

    For me the lessons learned here are:  1. American leaders and the American public are too ignorant of geo-political history and nuances that can and do ultimately affect us.  2.  Our leaders have their own agendas and manipulate us the clueless public (duh) in order to fulfil their own agendas.  3.  Before we go off half-cocked into any war, we ought to know what the hell is really going on.  4.  We are extremely slow to learn 1-3.

    My Conclusions:  1.  We should move slowly, through the UN to demand objective investigations of the claims of the South Ossetians that the Georgian military brutally killed civilians vs. Georgian claims that the Russian military invaded Georgian-claimed territory without reason.

    2.  We, and our leaders, should be much more aware of the military and political relationship forged between Russia and China to protect their own interests in the region and to show us that they are definitely a force to be reckoned with.  Putin has made a point since 2005 to resume many cold war activities even bringing them to the shores of the US itself in this incident reported June 26, 2008.

    3.  We need to understand that they are a force that is much more of an ultimate threat to us than Iran–and that we ought to be doing all in our power to work the diplomatic angles rather than the conflict and confrontation angles. The China and Russian military have had years to build/re-build. Meanwhile bush has used the last 8 years to totally deplete our military.  These are scary times.

  4. global research, here’s one

    snip…by Mike Whitney

    Washington’s bloody fingerprints are all over the invasion of South Ossetia. Georgia President Mikhail Saakashvili would never dream of launching a massive military attack unless he got explicit orders from his bosses at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.  After all, Saakashvili owes his entire political career to American power-brokers and US intelligence agencies. If he disobeyed them, he’d be gone in a fortnight. Besides an operation like this takes months of planning and logistical support; especially if it’s perfectly timed to coincide with the beginning of the Olympic games. (another petty neocon touch) That means Pentagon planners must have been working hand in hand with Georgian generals for months in advance. Nothing was left to chance.

     

  5. Scott Ritter speaks in this video!  

    And a response by Iran?

    Iran to “hit Tel Aviv, U.S. ships” if attacked

    July 8, 2008

    By Parisa Hafezi

    TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran will hit Tel Aviv, U.S. shipping in the Gulf and American interests around the world if it is attacked over its disputed nuclear activities, an aide to Iran’s Supreme Leader was quoted as saying on Tuesday. . . .

    I think Iran would NOT take anything sitting down!!!!!

  6. Often when something like this occurs the back story even if your mind dregs it up in bit’s as ‘say isn’t this the place we want to put missiles or doesn’t this dude we installed work for Unical, it takes a bit to piece together what is going down. No one really wants war and the atrocities it brings. Were always told that this war is about self determination or liberation or fighting aggression. Back stories are hard to sort out with the global onslaughts we and the world at large are enduring, while the thugs in power everywhere duke it out and call it globalism. Dominance and geopolitics are just terms used for thuggery at large. I suspect those in power here miss the cold war, they are still fighting it only now their enemy the terrorists are to hard to pin point. this offers years of fighting and we know this enemy he’s our old friend, or is he?      

  7. the faux storm outside this site. Have we all lost our collective Democratic minds or was I mistaken in thinking we had one. Been at a certain place where all thoughts are labeled purist and anyone I care to read is run off . what a journey there is in a click of a mouse. Thanks Edger your background information was sorely needed.  

  8. Russia.

Comments have been disabled.