Like most people, I suspect, I knew nothing at all about South Ossetia this time last week, despite the fact that I have been to Georgia. I do find the media coverage of the conflict very interesting though. All the emphasis is about the Russian bullies invading Georgian territory, bombing civilans and carrying out ethnic cleansing. You only get snippets of news pointing out that it was the Georgian army that waded in first. One thing I do know, is that if the former CEO of Haliburton is poking his nose into it, it ain’t just a ‘diplomatic’ incident.
Like those poor buggers in Iraq who have never seen a penny of Iraqi oil money, it will be the ordinary civilian folk of this faraway country of which we know nothing, who will pay the ultimate price of this latest global scrap between the world’s oil billionaires.
- For a fundamental and irreversible shift in the balance of power and wealth in favour of working people and their families...
-
On the Side of the Angels
- A Very Public Sociologist
- Beau Bo D'Or
- Bench
- Bloggerheads
- Bloggers4Labour
- Chicken Yoghurt
- Councillor Tim
- Dave Osler
- Fat Man in the Bathtub
- Frank Owen's Paintbrush
- Freemania
- From One End of Kent
- Grimmer Up North
- Hagley Road to Ladywood
- Hopi Sen
- Jailhouse Lawyer
- Jon's Union Blog
- Julian's Musings
- Labour List
- Labour of Love
- Labour Uncut
- Left Foot Forward
- Liberal Conspiracy
- Luke's Blog
- Ministry of Truth
- Never Trust a Hippy
- Next Left
- Obsolete
- Our Man in Hanoi
- Paul Linford
- Political Hack
- Raincoat Optimism
- Skipper
- Skuds
- Slugger O'Toole
- Stephen Newton's Diary
- The Daily (Maybe)
- The Methodist Preacher
- The Middle of the Line
- Though Cowards Flinch
- Three Score Years & Ten
- Tom Watson MP
The Dark Side
The Media
-
Recent Posts
-
Archives
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
- July 2004
- June 2004
- May 2004
- April 2004
- March 2004
- February 2004
Meta
My ignorance is as complete as yours Bob but I would point out that the Georgians ‘waded in first’ to their own territory. South Ossetia isn’t a sovereign state recognised under the UN, it’s part of Georgia even if a contested one.
By all accounts they were rather brutal in suppressing the separatists and should’ve know Russia wouldn’t ‘stand idly by’ but their actions don’t deserve the criticism the Russians do that’s for sure….
Yes, good point Liam. It certainly isn’t a sovereign state, recognised under the auspices of the wonderful United Nations, because if it was the Russians would have been perfectly entitled to invade to dish out a bit of humanitarian relief… and disproportionate.
Why… they could even have claimed the Georgians were hiding Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Touche…
Bob, have a look for a book called Caucasus by Nicholas Griffin if you want some good insights to the history and recent events in that region.