A little bit of clarity on the situation in Georgia.
First, I think some history is needed.
After (and even before) the breakup of the Soviet Union (Union comprised of several Soviet Republics as well as Russian Federation) several Southern Republic found themselves engulfed in a war. Georgia was one of them (1).
Brutal conflict broke out between some ethnically different regions of Georgian Republic, namely Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where large part of the population was not Georgian and the Georgia itself. Many people died. Russia has helped to stop this conflict and Russian troops designated as peacekeepers were permanently stationed in both regions in order to keep the situation under control and prevent further bloodshed according to the agreement between then presidents of Russia and Georgia, Eltsyn and Shevardnadze(2).
Now, the time has passed. Georgia, still not happy with the fact that part of what it considers its territory remains out of control, has applied for NATO membership and declared itself Western Allie, gaining some ground for potential support from the West. Once this support was assured, the attack was launched in order to regain the rebellious territories (3). There were just two problems:
1) Russian Peacekeepers were still in the way, so some of them had to die. "Ten Russian peacekeepers were killed and 30 wounded when their barracks were hit in Georgian shelling" (3)
2) South Ossetians did not seem to want to concede, so some of them had to die as well. As it happens, "more than half of South Ossetia's 70,000 citizens are said to have taken up Moscow's offer of a Russian passport" (1), therefore civilian people who die are also more than 50% russian citizens.
As a result, Russia faced the following situation: Its peacekeeping troops in South Ossetia were under attack, its citizens are dying, and the war broke out on its southern border once again. As a natural response, Russia has moved its regular troops into the region in order to STOP THE BLOODSHED and to restore peace.
US reaction is what seems to be the most amazing to me. While invading the “sovereign nation” of Iraq in order to protect US lives seems to be fine, while division of sovereign nation of Serbia in order to prevent bloodshed seems to be just great, while only the possession by Russia of nuclear weapons seems to prevent from interference with the situation in Chechnya (Russian Sovereign soil, mind you) as soon as we are talking about US ally - very different standards seem to apply!
Now Russia is to blame for everything, Russia is to be condemned and it is Russia that has to “withdraw” and “stop the aggression against sovereign nation of Georgia”.
Don’t get me wrong, I live in the USA and I love this country dearly as my new motherland and my home, but if we want to be FAIR and JUST we can not apply different standards to the situation depending on whether it is convenient to us. If we support nation’s right for self-determination, we must support the right of South Ossetian people to decide what they want in a referendum and force Georgia to stop the assault IMMIDIATELY. If we believe so much more in national sovereignty, we must withdraw from Iraq and give Kosovo back to Serbia. But we can not mix and match depending on what better serves our immediate benefit, or we will live to regret it ourselves. We can not support every crazy dictator in anything he does just because he declared the (self serving) desire to join NATO.
Sources:
1) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7549736.stm
2) http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/south-ossetia-oil-and-nationalism--a-troubled-history-13935166.html
3) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-strikes-as-georgia-moves-against-rebels-888487.html
After (and even before) the breakup of the Soviet Union (Union comprised of several Soviet Republics as well as Russian Federation) several Southern Republic found themselves engulfed in a war. Georgia was one of them (1).
Brutal conflict broke out between some ethnically different regions of Georgian Republic, namely Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where large part of the population was not Georgian and the Georgia itself. Many people died. Russia has helped to stop this conflict and Russian troops designated as peacekeepers were permanently stationed in both regions in order to keep the situation under control and prevent further bloodshed according to the agreement between then presidents of Russia and Georgia, Eltsyn and Shevardnadze(2).
Now, the time has passed. Georgia, still not happy with the fact that part of what it considers its territory remains out of control, has applied for NATO membership and declared itself Western Allie, gaining some ground for potential support from the West. Once this support was assured, the attack was launched in order to regain the rebellious territories (3). There were just two problems:
1) Russian Peacekeepers were still in the way, so some of them had to die. "Ten Russian peacekeepers were killed and 30 wounded when their barracks were hit in Georgian shelling" (3)
2) South Ossetians did not seem to want to concede, so some of them had to die as well. As it happens, "more than half of South Ossetia's 70,000 citizens are said to have taken up Moscow's offer of a Russian passport" (1), therefore civilian people who die are also more than 50% russian citizens.
As a result, Russia faced the following situation: Its peacekeeping troops in South Ossetia were under attack, its citizens are dying, and the war broke out on its southern border once again. As a natural response, Russia has moved its regular troops into the region in order to STOP THE BLOODSHED and to restore peace.
US reaction is what seems to be the most amazing to me. While invading the “sovereign nation” of Iraq in order to protect US lives seems to be fine, while division of sovereign nation of Serbia in order to prevent bloodshed seems to be just great, while only the possession by Russia of nuclear weapons seems to prevent from interference with the situation in Chechnya (Russian Sovereign soil, mind you) as soon as we are talking about US ally - very different standards seem to apply!
Now Russia is to blame for everything, Russia is to be condemned and it is Russia that has to “withdraw” and “stop the aggression against sovereign nation of Georgia”.
Don’t get me wrong, I live in the USA and I love this country dearly as my new motherland and my home, but if we want to be FAIR and JUST we can not apply different standards to the situation depending on whether it is convenient to us. If we support nation’s right for self-determination, we must support the right of South Ossetian people to decide what they want in a referendum and force Georgia to stop the assault IMMIDIATELY. If we believe so much more in national sovereignty, we must withdraw from Iraq and give Kosovo back to Serbia. But we can not mix and match depending on what better serves our immediate benefit, or we will live to regret it ourselves. We can not support every crazy dictator in anything he does just because he declared the (self serving) desire to join NATO.
Sources:
1) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7549736.stm
2) http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/south-ossetia-oil-and-nationalism--a-troubled-history-13935166.html
3) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-strikes-as-georgia-moves-against-rebels-888487.html