Russian military forces unleashed a power grab on the former Russian state of Georgia. Specifically, the region of South Ossetia, which is a small region in the country which recognizes itself as being linked with . I will admit I wasnt really aware of the situation until watching an interview with Former US Ambassador to the UN, Richard Holbrooke on MSNBC this morning. While facts of the case are disturbing enough the timing could not be more devious. Follow me below the fold for some background
First a timeline
http://news.bbc.co.uk/...
1989-A group known as Ademon Nykhas or South Ossetian Popular front launched a campaign to recongnize the territory as an "autonomous republic"
http://www.crisisgroup.org/...
Summer 1990--The Georgia Soviet Supreme ruled to ban regional political parties following Georgia's independence from the former USSR earlier
in February of 1990. This led to the Admeon Nykhas pledging its allegiance to the former USSR, fully sovereign underneath their umbrella. They held there own elections only to find out that the newly elected Georgian president would declare Georgian a national language, declare elections held in S. Ossetia invalid and stripping it of its newly granted "autonomous republic" status
1991-1992---Residents of the region South Ossetia wages a war against Georgia for its independence. Reports vary but the conflict left at least a 1000 dead. 100,000 S. Ossetians fled the area
Now in 92 Georgia accepted a ceasefire with the S. Ossetians in fear that the S. Ossetian sympathizers in Russia would take up the cause on their behalf and face a legit military onslaught. The was realtively successful in quelling violence ober the next 12 years or so. They brought in a peacekeeping mix of Russian, Georgians, and Ossentians which managed to keep things relatively calm. However residents began to see a pattern. While curbing violence, 4 members of that team, all former Russian police, were charged with espionage. Essentially, spying on activities in the region for newly formed Russia. The got a rep as targeting native Georgians and rightly so. However, in 2006 High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU declared while corrupt the EU would not be replacing the peacekeeping efforts of the collection of Russians, Georgians, and Ossetians.
http://www.isn.ethz.ch/...
Take a Breath
Fast Forward to today. While the entire Western Hemisphere was sleep and the entire Eastern Hemisphere is focused on the Opening Ceremonies, Ceremony attendee Vladimir Putin unleashed tanks to help their longtime allies in S. Ossetia. Enter Richard Holbrooke, who ironically shares the same first name as Richard Clarke who was beating the drum pre-Iraq that this was a propaganda war with no real basis. While we marvel at the idiocy of Bush ignoring the memo of Bin Laden determined to attack in the US, Holbrooke was blowing the whistle long ago about this incident. Here is a link to one of his articles
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Essentially, Georgia president Mikheil Saakashvili, who is Georgian-born, US-Educated (Columbia Law, GW School of Law), worked in New York law firm Paterson Belnap Webb and Tyler, and married to a Dutch-woman is the most Pro-Western agenda head of State of all former Soviet Republics. Think he is already on Putin's bad side. In Holbrooke's interview with Alex Witt on MSNBC she asked him, and I'm paraprasing here--Well with President Bush at the Olympics do you think the information is reaching him. Holbrooke cut her off before she could get her point out and said emphatically that there was "no way" a war starts and the President of the US doesnt know about it. We have instant communications with Russia. If a bottle of Smirnoff Vodka is stolen from head office in Moscow we know about it, so Bush has no legs to stand on in the " I Wasnt Aware" department.
He also brought up something will definately be missed by the MSM in there coverage, or lack thereof, of this story. He says "it is no happy accident that the Russians and Vladimir Putin have chosen this moment to engage. They bet on the fact everybody would be focused on the Olympics and nobody would notice or make much of a fuss in China. Unfortunatley for Georgians, the Russians were right" BTW, you have gotta believe that China, who ties to Russia are stringer now than ties to US are seeing thing develop and taking notes so that what the world leaves Beijing, they can use the same tactics on Tibet. He also mentions with some eerieness that the Russians are watching the Olympic protesters and Tibet sympathizers with special ineterst. Russia is slated host the 2012 Winter Olympics and is intent on stopping all sorts of protest over this issue of South Ossetia before we even reach 2012. Much like China today, the Russian Games in 2012 stands to be a--wait for it--coming out party much like China's games. With newly found oil wealth (thanks to The Decider destabilizing the region), the games will be a showcase for new Russia to take the world stage. You dont think they want to deal with this now while everyone is asleep at the wheel?
Which leads me to this. We slept far too long while Darfur was ravaged, while ethnic cleansing was happening in the former Yugoslavia, while Palestinians and Jews fight about the Gaza Strip. While half the world slept and the other half was watching the Opening Ceremonies, we may have all missed the unthinkable, yet totally plausible, (to borrow a phrase from Condi Rice), the birth pains of a new Russian dictatorship with Putin the beneficiary. Putin's not the president you may say, he's only the prime minister. I guess Dick Cheney only enegaged in a totally backup role in White House energy policy.
Ill leave you with this photo which is linked here http://sports.espn.go.com/...
This was taken less than an hour before the start of the Ceremonies when Russia was poised to start their offensive omce the Games began. One can only wonder what they are saying at this moment. When you tune in to watch the ceremonies tonight, just remember that while you are watching that, tape-delayed by 12 hours, while athletes are walking into the stadium, elaborate pageantry is around the stadium, and pyro galore rain from the heavens one member of the crowd, Putin, is focused on something totally different and far more sinister
Update--Let me say, reports on who attacked who first differ. Georgia says they see Russian spy planes patrolling the area which led to them defending there homeland. Russia sees any military gathering designed to oppose the group Russia considers its allies as an act or war. Georgians are claiming shooting down 4 russian planes. Russians are claiming Georgian were engaging in ethnic cleansing of S. ossetians in the region. Point being, each side is going to say what led to what and by whom. I tried not to delve into the whole " who went negative first agrument" ala Obama/McCain, but rather take a look at what happens nowm why it did, and why none of the heads of state at the olympics, all 80 of them, are saying much.