[Peace-discuss] NG on the Caucusus and David Green's response

[C. G. Estabrook]

David--

I'm glad you answered the NG's stupid and dangerous editorial quickly and well, 
but I'm uneasy about one line: "Russia's behavior is outrageous, but no more so 
than that of the U.S. and Israel."

I think one could argue that Russia's behavior was far less outrageous than that
of the US and Israel.  I'm not even sure that it should be classed with them, or 
perhaps even considered outrageous.

After civilians (not military) in a city under its protection by treaty were 
attacked and the city invaded, Russia responded with force (much more limited 
force in fact than our media said).

Now one might hold that every use of military force is ipso facto wrong, even 
outrageous. (If so, it would seem that one could not in good conscience pay 
taxes for police and the military, and there are of course absolute pacifists 
who are consistent on this point.)

But most people (including me and, I think, you) believe that there are 
occasions in which some people have to stopped from what they're doing and 
stopped quickly, and that requires the use of force.  The problem then becomes 
to decide under what conditions the use of force is appropriate.  The abstract 
description of such conclusions is the Just War Theory.

A just war must at least be a response to serious aggression and a last resort; 
it must have a reasonable prospect of success and cause disorder not greater 
than the evil to be eliminated (jus ad bellum). Only a minimum of force may be 
employed in its conduct, and a distinction must be made between military and 
civilians (jus in bello).

Insofar as we know the facts, Russia's recent actions in the Caucasus seem to me 
to come as close to being a just war as any I can think of recently.  (Except 
for national liberation struggles, perhaps only the Cambodian-Vietnamese War of 
1978 qualifies.)

I'm not cheering.  Obviously any use of force and violence, by police or 
military, is regrettable -- any man's death diminishes me (because what's Donne 
is Donne?) -- but it may not be outrageous.  Regards, CGE


===========
Randall Cotton recotton at earthlink.net wrote--

Below is yesterday's stomach-turning News-Gazoo editorial regarding South
Ossetia, which:

1. characterizes the conflict as entirely Russia's "brazen" "invasion of
neighboring Georgia"
2. dutifully raises the specter of "cold war" in the very first sentence,
and
3. neglects to even remotely mention (innocent oversight, I'm sure 8-P )
that the conflict started with Georgia's invasion of Tskhinvali in an
attack that killed hundreds or thousands of civilians, most of whom were
probably Russian citizens.

The NG editorial board would have you believe that Saakashvili's
hare-brained, morally bankrupt military gambit never happened.

After that, David's letter to the editor on the conflict that ran today,
clarifying how the conflict started and, more importantly, pointing out
the hypocrisy of the U.S. (and others) in vilifying Russia for its
behavior.

Thanks, David, for this effort.

[...]

	U.S., Russia both act in same manner
	Wednesday August 20, 2008

The United States recently supported Kosovo's independence, made possible
by our attack on Serbia in 1999. Serbian sovereignty was of no account. In
1982, Israel invaded Lebanon in response to an assassination in London,
not by the Palestian Liberation Organization. But the PLO was expelled,
20,000 killed and Israel occupied southern Lebanon until 2000.

In 2006, in response to an incursion that killed two Israeli soldiers,
Israel bombed Lebanon and unsuccessfully attempted to invade. In all this,
neither sovereignty nor proportion was of account. Meanwhile, the U.S. has
occupied Afghanistan and Iraq, establishing puppet regimes.

In the South Ossetian region of Georgia, concurrent referenda in November
2006 demonstrated clear divisions among the population regarding
independence from Georgia. Last month, Georgia established a commission to
develop South Ossetia's autonomous status within Georgia. Nevertheless,
with American and Israeli weapons, and with training from Israeli defense
experts, Georgian forces invaded South Ossetia on Aug. 7, killing at least
2,000. Russia has responded with overwhelming force, placing Georgia in
the category of Serbia and Lebanon as seen through American and Israeli
lenses.

Russia's behavior is outrageous, but no more so than that of the U.S. and
Israel. There were no Hitlers in Serbia or Lebanon, anymore than another
Stalin in his native Georgia. International law respects national
sovereignty, but major powers do only if their geopolitical interests are
served. American-backed Georgia is only remarkable in that it more clearly
initiated hostilities with no possibility of anything other than American
lip-service, while Israeli advisers quickly headed home.

DAVID GREEN

Champaign

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