[Peace-discuss] south ossetian irony

[C. G. Estabrook]

"Ossetia was independent of Georgia but was absorbed into the Russian empire 
with Georgia, in 1801, and when the Soviet republic of Georgia was formed, 
following the revolution of 1917, the southern part of Ossetia became part of 
it. North Ossetia stayed in Russia ...
    1991 The Soviet Union collapses and Georgia becomes independent
    1992-94 Minority ethnic groups in the provinces of South Ossetia and 
Abkhazia fight separatist wars to end Georgian rule. Both have Russian financial 
and political backing but have not been recognised by any foreign government and 
officially remain part of Georgia
    1994 Under a shaky ceasefire agreement, a mainly Russian peacekeeping force 
is deployed in Abkhazia. Russian troops also lead a joint peacekeeping force in 
South Ossetia." [FT/AFP]

The US contributed to the outbreak of hostilities by
   [a] expanding NATO (which of course the US promised it wouldn't do, at the 
time of the unification of Germany);
   [b] soliciting Georgia as a locus for oil and gas pipelines from the Caspian 
to Turkey (avoiding Russia);
   [c] supporting (if not more) the "Revolution of Roses" and Saakashvili (who's 
nuts: see his op-ed in today's WSJ); and
   [d] in another way, providing the example for dismantling states, as in 
Serbia (and now apparently Bolivia): in March the South Ossetians specifically 
invoked US support for Kosovo's secession when they rejected a Georgian 
power-sharing deal and insisted on full independence.  --CGE


Paul Mueth wrote:
> Apparently south ossetia was annexed into Georgian territory forcibly by
> Stalin, I'm not sure if the region on the Black Sea dates to the same time
> and method.
> 
> So we have Cheney rattling his sword to defend the legacy of Stalin's heavy
> handed policies.