Georgia on My Mind: Imperial Rivalry Fuels Tussle over South Ossetia

[IndianaGreen]

Georgia on My Mind: Imperial Rivalry Fuels Tussle over South Ossetia

By PA Staff Writers

The Georgian military invasion of South Ossetia, a de facto autonomous region with its own government since the early 1990s, followed by the swift Russian counter-attack which drove out the Georgian forces, has provoked a lot of talk in the media but little clarity.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, South Ossetia has operated as an independent country, although it’s independence has not been formally recognized by the international community. A proponent of free-market neo-liberalism, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, a “charismatic” and successful New York lawyer who is staunchly pro-Western and fiercely anti-Russian, came to power in 2003 with the promise of forcing South Ossetia’s reunification with Georgia. South Ossetians have resisted Georgian rule, preferring to maintain their distinct ethnic identity and choosing to adopt Russian citizenship (approximately 95 percent of the population hold Russian passports). A 2006 referendum in South Ossetia saw nearly unanimous support for independence from Georgia.

The Bush administration, which has strongly promoted Georgia’s membership in NATO (a direct threat to Russia, on top of so-called Missile Shield) has flooded Georgia with armaments and trainers, and was even engaged in full-fledged military exercises with Georgia at the time of the invasion – which strikingly coincided with the opening of the Beijing Olympics. The US government and the corporate media immediately sided with Saakashvili and its military invasion of South Ossetia.

Though Saakashvili has been described as "brash" and even "autocratic," with some observers questioning his mental capacity when he tried to rename a Georgian mountain after California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, it seems doubtful that he'd risk Washington's ire on a dangerous military operation without the Bush administration’s go ahead. The proverbial green light was almost certainly given – or at least fully expected.

One expert on the region hinted that Saakashvili's risky actions were likely to have been planned well in advance. "It was a calculated gamble and he miscalculated. He has been forced to withdraw. It's a military blunder. It caused an international incident," F. Stephen Larrabee, corporate chair of European security at the Rand Corporation in Washington, told the Los Angeles Times this week.

http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/7252/

[JDPriestly]

1. I just read that Putin is espousing my theory (but we DUers thought of it before him) that

this whole Georgia mess is a campaign ploy to support McCain. Why did Georgia suddenly feel offended by South Ossetia's claim to sovereignty after 16-17 years? This is just too odd. South Ossetia broke off from Georgia during the first Bush administration. Is GWB trying to tidy up after his dad?

[MrMonk]

2. Georgia was always "offended" by the Ossetians claims to independence.

There was a war over it when the province tried to break away. The situation was "frozen" when Russia threatened to intervene.