EU-DIGEST

For the complete report from Radio Free Europe click on this link

Georgia, Ukraine Told They Do Not Meet Standards For NATO Membership - by Liz Fuller

The NATO foreign ministers' decision on December 2 not to offer Membership Action Plans to Georgia and Ukraine should not have surprised anyone. Nor should their reaffirmation of the provision enshrined in the final document of the April 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest that those two countries will at some unspecified future date join the alliance. But the fact remains -- and was stressed by both NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice -- that both Georgia and Ukraine still fall short of basic NATO standards in terms of both political reform and military readiness.

Note EU-Digest:
There also is absolutely no need to admit Albania and Croatia into NATO. As a matter of fact the EU should also insist for reasons of unity and conformity that those EU nations which already are in NATO should be grouped under a single EU unbrella possibly as proposed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy re: EU Elite Defence Force.

Labels: Albania, Croatia, EU, Georgia, Nato, Ukraine

For the complete report from the washingtonpost.com click on this link

Georgian, Polish Presidents Say They Were Shot At Near Russian Checkpoint - "Most people doubt the validity of the report" - by P.P.Pan

The presidents of Georgia and Poland said they encountered gunfire while attempting to visit a Russian checkpoint near the South Ossetian border on Sunday, an assertion Russia immediately denied and described as a provocation and "wishful thinking."

"It seems to be another attempt by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to shore-up his dwindling credibility at home and in the EU", said a European diplomat stationed in Georgia.

Labels: EU, Georgia, Poland, Saakashvili

For the complete report from the AFP click on this link

French minister opposes Georgia, Ukraine entry to NATO

France's minister for European affairs on Wednesday said he was opposed to Georgia and Ukraine entering the NATO military alliance for now because it would not benefit Europe. "I think that it is not the right time for membership for Georgia and Ukraine," Jean-Pierre Jouyet said on the sidelines of a European Parliament session. "It is not in the interests of Europe or its relations with Russia." NATO foreign ministers are in December set to once again examine Georgia and Ukraine's candidacy for membership, strongly denounced by Moscow. While Jouyet said he was expressing his personal opinion, he in fact confirmed a view repeatedly expressed by Paris.

Along with Germany, France has been reluctant to take the two ex-Soviet states into the alliance and draw the wrath of Russia, which has made it clear it would regard such a move as something close to a hostile action by NATO. Note EU-Digest: this is a wise move. Letting these countries in might be of interest to the US government, it certainly is not in the interest of the EU's relationship with Russia.

Labels: EU, France, Georgia, Ukraine

For the complete report from the EUobserver click on this link

Khodorkovsky: Georgia war could bring EU and Russia closer - by Philippa Runner

Russia's invasion of Georgia could be followed by a Kremlin effort to mend ties with the West. But the EU has to pull the Russian elite closer without losing sight of its own values, according to fallen oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovksy.

Mr Khodorkovksy praised France for handling the Georgia crisis with understanding for the "nuances" of Russia's post-imperial problems, urging the EU not to try and dominate Russia but not to lapse into value-free realpolitik either. "To live on the same continent, to deepen interdependence without sharing the same values is impossible. The only way is the mutual integration of our elites in respect of the basic rules enshrined in our national constitutions and European treaties."

Labels: EU, Georgia, Russia

The Parliament

"EU observer mission denied access to key areas in Georgia

The EU begins is observer mission to Georgia today, says Deutsche Welle, despite Russian protests that the envoys won’t be allowed in any of the so-called buffer zones around South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The website says the EU had wanted to secure the complete withdrawal of forces from the two troubled regions, but this had been completely ruled out by Moscow.

It quotes French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner, representing the EU under the French presidency. “This is all really very incomplete, as I and everyone else know. But in the first instance it was for us a matter of getting a date for a Russian withdrawal from the parts of Georgia that border with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.”"

Labels: EU, Georgia, Russia

For the complete report from the Taiwan News Online click on this link

Dozens of monitors from across the European Union arrived in Georgia yesterday for a mission intended to ease tensions in the war-torn country, a Western diplomat close to the mission said. Nearly 70 observers arrived by plane from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Spain and Sweden, while a Romanian group came by ship, landing in the Black Sea port of Poti with armored cars, said the diplomat. The arrivals were among the vanguard of about 300 unarmed EU observers due to be in position on October 1, as part of a peace deal tackling the consequences of last month's war between Georgia and Russia over the South Ossetia rebel region. Following the EU deployment, Russia has committed to drawing its troops back to their "pre-conflict positions" by October 10 as part of a deal that France, the EU's current president, brokered to end last month's fighting.

Note EU-Digest: Its amazing that during the first Presidential debate held tonight in Mississippi neither one of the candidates acknowledged that the Georgians were the first to attack and start the conflict.

Labels: EU, Georgia

International Herald Tribune

"EU: Georgia crisis fortifies importance of Turkey

HELSINKI, Finland: The Georgian crisis has strengthened the strategic importance of Turkey both in the Caucasus and for the European Union, the bloc's enlargement chief said Friday.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said Turkey was "engaged in very active and evidently successful diplomacy" in its neighboring regions."

Labels: EU, Georgia, Turkey

For the complete report from China View click on this link

NATO denies rifts with EU on Georgia

NATO denied any differences with the European Union (EU) on the Georgia crisis on Wednesday and toned down its rhetoric against Russia. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told Monday's Financial Times newspaper that the Sept. 8 agreement between Russia and the European Union (EU) was unacceptable as it allows heavy Russian military presence in Georgia's two breakaway regions-- Abkhazia and South Ossetia. De Hoop Scheffer said that the new arrangement was in direct contravention of an earlier six-point plan brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy which called for a return to the status quo before the conflict broke out.

On Aug. 7 Georgia launched attack on South Ossetia, which has enjoyed de facto independence since 1992, in an attempt to retake control of the region. Russia sent troops into the region on the next day and defeated Georgian forces in a five-day war.

Labels: EU, Georgia, Nato

AGI News

"GEORGIA: GERMAN DIPLOMAT TO LEAD EU OBSERVERS

(AGI) - Brussels, 17 Sept. - A memo from the current presidency of the European Union has announced that the German diplomat Hansjoerg Haber has been nominated to act as the head of the mission of EU observers in Georgia, whose task should begin on 1 October. Haber, 55 years old, was the German Ambassador to Beirut until now, where he had been assigned the task of maintaining relations with United Nations Interim Forces in the Lebanon. Furthermore, he has served as Ambassador to Ankara and Moscow and speaks fluent Russian. "

Labels: EU, Georgia, Germany

The European Union and Russia after Georgia

"The European Union and Russia after Georgia

RussiaThe lesson of the Georgia-Russia crisis for the European Union is to learn from past mistakes and develop a distinct, long-term foreign-policy strategy, says Paul Gillespie.

The European Union has taken a measured route between Vladimir Putin's Moscow and Dick Cheney's Washington in its combination of refusing to impose sanctions on Russia after its military and diplomatic actions in Georgia while firmly setting a test for Moscow over the next two months about its willingness to cooperate with other Europeans.

Instead of the widely canvassed divisions at the emergency summit on 1
September 2008, there was a surprising consensus about how to proceed between harder and softer positions. The crisis emphasises what is at stake in creating a more coherent EU foreign policy; the importance of doing so; and the marked contrast between European Union and United States approaches to European security."

Labels: EU, Georgia, Russia

For the complete report from the International Herald Tribune click on this link

US Congressman defends Russia in Georgia conflict

A conservative Republican congressman is siding with Russia in its invasion of and brief war with Georgia, putting himself at odds with the Bush administration and lawmakers of both parties. "The Russians were right; we're wrong," Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said this week at a hearing of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.

Labels: Georgia, US

For the complete report from the FT-Com click on this link

US military trained Georgian commandos- by Charles Clover

The US military provided combat training to 80 Georgian special forces commandos only months prior to Georgia’s army assault in South Ossetia in August. The revelation, based on recruitment documents and interviews with US military trainers obtained by the Financial Times, could add fuel to accusations by Vlad­imir Putin, Russian prime minister, last month that the US had “orchestrated” the war in the Georgian enclave.

The training was provided by senior US soldiers and two military contractors. There is no evidence that the contractors or the Pentagon, which hired them, knew that the commandos they were training were likely be used in the assault on South Ossetia.

Labels: Georgia, Russia, US

For the complete report from the Times Online click on this link

Dick Cheney in Georgia: Europe has weak hand in game of power - by Carl Mortished

"Where there is oil and where there is trouble, you can expect to find Dick Cheney - and the US Vice-President arrives today in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, for a brief tour of the Caucasus, taking in Georgia as well as Ukraine, three states in the front line of the West's struggle for Asian energy supplies. Mr Cheney is a veteran of this conflict and he is back, trying to rally support for a failing strategy. He has been a key supporter of the Caspian region as an alternative supplier of oil and gas to the West. Sandwiched between troublesome Iran to the south and overbearing Russia to the north, the oil and gas reserves of Azerbaijan, Khazakhstan and Turkmenistan were promoted as an energy safe haven, with independent links to the West via pipelines through the Caucasus. That Caucasian lifeline has been shown to be tenuous, its fragility exposed when President Sakashvilli, of Georgia, blundered into South Ossetia last month, guns blazing, to attack Russian separatists.

Today, it seems almost incredible that this chaotic region of gangsters, warring tribes and uncertain borders was trumpeted as an energy umbilical cord to the West."

Labels: Cheney, EU, Georgia

For the complete report from the Denver Post click on this link

Don’t forget: Georgia started Russia skirmish - by Mary Idler

All the time, there are more stories about how Georgia has suffered in its war with Russia. We hear lots of voices calling for support for Georgia, advocating its admission to NATO. But we need to remember how this war started: Georgia attacked.

The war started with Georgian military attacks against Ossetian civilians and Russian peacekeepers. Even our ambassador to Russia says that Russia’s initial response to attacks against their peacekeepers was legitimate. Russia probably went too far in its defeat of the Georgian blitzkrieg. But why don’t we condemn Georgia for starting this war? What were our military advisers doing there? Georgia’s aggressive action, and its dramatic demonstration that its borders are contested, mean that is should be completely ineligible for membership in NATO.

Labels: EU, Georgia, Russia

For the complete report from the Deutsche Welle click on this link

Medvedev Says Russia Seeks Dialogue With EU

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has stressed that he wants a "constructive dialogue" with the European Union irrespective of the Georgia conflict. Berlin and Moscow aim to calm tensions in the Caucasus region. Medvedev told Brown that Russia welcomed the deployment of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observers in the conflict regions of Georgia, Interfax news agency reported on Saturday, Aug. 30. The Russian president also requested the OSCE send more observers to Georgia, according to a statement released by the Kremlin.

Labels: EU, Georgia, Russia

For the complete report from the Xinhua click on this link

France not to seek sanctions on Russia at EU summit on Monday

France will not seek to impose sanctions against Russia over the current Russia-Georgia conflict at the European Union summit scheduled for Monday in Brussels, French media cited a source from the Elysee as saying.

"We are now in dialogue with Moscow, not in the phase of sanctions," the source was quoted by AFP as saying on Friday. Time for sanctions "is certainly not coming," it said. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country is now holding the rotating presidency of the European Union, called a special summit in Brussels to discuss the Russia-Georgia crisis and the future relationship between Russia and the EU.

Labels: EU, France, Georgia, Russia

For the complete report from the KP.RU click on this link

Spiegel prepares to let loose “informational time bomb” against Georgian authorities - by Yulia Kuprina

Germany’s Spiegel magazine announced the cover story of their new issue earlier this week, which will hit stands worldwide on Sept. 1. The article testifies to the “many poor decisions made by the Georgian authorities that led to the crisis in the Caucasus,” RIA Novosti reported. The article’s teaser promises an informational time bomb that is sure to complicate things for Georgia. Its authors claim that piles of evidence have accumulated at the OSCE headquarters detailing the Georgian authorities’ unsavory decisions that resulted in the conflict. Spiegel also notes that governmental bodies in Berlin have received information compiled by OSCE military observers in the Caucasus (via unofficial channels) that prove Georgia began the conflict.

Labels: EU, Georgia, Russia

International Herald Tribune

"UK's Brown: Europe must act together on Russia

LONDON: European countries should adopt a united energy policy to avoid becoming too dependent on Russia, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in an article published Sunday.

Brown said European Union nations should "use our collective bargaining power rather than seek separate energy deals with Russia.""

Labels: EU, Georgia, Russia

Georgian foreign minister calls for European unity against Russia:

"Georgian foreign minister calls for European unity against Russia
Europe News

Aug 31, 2008, 12:22 GMT

Ankara - Georgian Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili on Sunday called for the European Union to take a united stand against what she described as the Russian occupation of parts of her country."

Labels: EU, Georgia, Russia

Georgia crisis threatens EU bid for more energy sources - Feature : Europe World

"Georgia crisis threatens EU bid for more energy sources - Feature

Vienna - Europe's declared goal to shift away from Russian oil and gas was always a challenge. It's even more difficult after Moscow's assault on Georgia, analysts say. Georgia's strategic role as a pipeline transit country, run by a US-backed leadership that Moscow detests, formed the backdrop to the conflict that erupted in early August."

Labels: EU, Georgia, Russia

World gives Russia an unfair rap | The Japan Times Online

World gives Russia an unfair rap - by Gregory Clark

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is an intelligent woman. So how can she possibly want to tell the world that Russia's response to the Georgian attack on South Ossetia resembled the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. The comparisons should be the reverse. The Russian willingness to go to the aid of a small region under brutal attack contrasts greatly with the empty Western rhetoric back in the days when Czechoslovakia or other regions were under Moscow attack. And the knee-jerk anti-Russian reactions of the media and other commentators too biased or lazy to question the official U.S. version of events parallels the Russian media's knee-jerk acceptance of Moscow's distorted explanations for past misdemeanors such as Chechnya.

U.S. President George W. Bush condemns the Russian attack as a violation of Georgian sovereignty. Did sovereignty concerns ever bother the United States during its attacks on various nations? Besides, we now have doctrines that say nations have moral obligations to intervene to defend peoples under immoral attack, regardless of sovereignty concerns. The Russians could easily claim that in Ossetia. The Russians are right to use the Kosovo example as a proof of Western hypocrisy. There, too, the Serbian minority population was under attack from Western-backed Albanian guerrillas. Serbian attempts to stop the attacks were amazingly described as Serbian ethnic cleansing.

Labels: EU, Georgia, Russia

For the complete report from the Telegraph.co.uk

Russia is fighting a new Cold War with banks and pipelines, not tanks and warplanes - by Edward Lucas

In classical mythology, Georgia was the land where the Argonauts had to harness bulls with bronze hooves to win the Golden Fleece. Modern Georgia is the source of a treasure scarcely less precious: oil and gas from central Asia and the Caspian, piped along the only east-west energy corridor that Russia does not control. But whereas Jason and his comrades triumphed, our quest has ended in humiliating failure. Russia is also advocating a new pan-European security organization, with formal legal status. This, it hopes, will exclude the United States, and tie up the West in the knots of international law, so that military intervention of the kind seen in the former Yugoslavia becomes all but impossible.

Note EU-Digest: The Telegraph is one of the mouthpieces of British Conservatives who rather be part of the US than a member of the European Union.

Labels: EU, Georgia, Russia

For the complete report from SOFIA ECHOCOM click on this link

Georgia: Contemporary myth making

For now Georgia is the land of myth-making, the product of a whirlpool of two mighty streams of propaganda – West-backed Georgian and Russian. In propaganda, pure facts do not exist. Georgian and Russian ears keep hearing divergent stories. Well, maybe some figures such as number of sunken ships and blasted bridges, hectares of forests set on fire, number of refugees and troops, amount of foreign humanitarian aid do coincide. However, to me even that’s subject to doubt as even they are coming in the “relevant” selection and are as obfuscated by interpretation as to drive governmental policy home.

Labels: Georgia

For the complete report from the Times Online click on this link

Russia is Europe's natural ally - by Vladimir Putin

On March 25 the Times Online published the following article by Vladimir Putin. Note EU-Digest : With all the present hype about Georgia it might be a good idea for all of us in Europe to read this article again before we get totally engulved by the hysterious rhetoric coming to us from Georgia and other former East Block nations

"The development of multifaceted ties with the EU is Russia’s principled choice. In the foreseeable future, for obvious reasons, we have no intention of either joining the EU or establishing any form of institutional association with it. Russia intends to build its relations with the EU on a pragmatic basis with a treaty and a strategic partnership. In this regard I agree with Romano Prodi’s view of Russian-EU relations: “Anything but institutions.” We are prepared to develop this partnership to a maximum extent, expecting of course that our partners will meet us halfway along this road.

The interests of Russia and the EU will not always coincide. Competition is the reverse side of cooperation and an integral part of the process of globalization. At the same time, one should not see political intrigues behind purely economic measures. One should not superimpose cold war ideological labels on legal and quite understandable actions aimed at protecting our national interests. Let me say again: we are ready to settle differences through open dialogue and compromise, based on mutually agreed rules. I am convinced that the development of relations between Russia and the EU has logically led us to the need for a new treaty on strategic partnership."

Labels: EU, Georgia, Russia, Vladimir Putin

For the complete report from the Arizona Daily star click on this link

U.S. should stay out of Georgia fray - by Pat Willerton

Georgia's recent surprise attack on the secessionist region of South Ossetia unleashed another round of unpredictable developments that exacerbate the ancient ethnic rivalries of these Caucasus peoples.The American public discussion has returned to the rhetoric of the Cold War years. Perhaps this was predictable given we are in the midst of a presidential campaign, but the rush of all commentators — conservative and liberal, Democratic, Republican and independent — to outdo one another in their disdain for Russia and its actions, only clouds our efforts to form a balanced perspective on the complex developments in the troubled Caucasus.First, it was Georgian forces that attacked South Ossetia and destabilized the fragile peace that characterized this area for the past decades. While each side in the conflict claims that its adversary took actions that precipitated this latest war, it was the Georgians who first crossed borders, fired shots and killed Russians.
Second, this region — like all of the Caucasus — has been overwhelmed by ethnic rivalries for centuries involving wars, forced migrations and ethnic cleansing. In this regard, there is blood on all parties' hands; there are no "good guys" or "bad guys" when taking the long view.

Third, a complex set of bilateral and multilateral arrangements crafted by Russia, Georgia and other regional actors left an uneasy peace that characterized the 17-year post- Soviet period up until two weeks ago. While none of these countries were happy with these arrangements, they were observing them.

Fourth, all outside actors (the United States, Turkey, the European Union and NATO) avoided involvement in the tricky security arrangements. Only Russia, a Caucasus state itself, and its international organization, the CIS, have been directly involved in the management of the region's security architecture.

The Saakashvili regime's ill-considered and inept actions seriously weakened the Georgian position, and — like it or not — Georgia will negotiate from a far weaker position. Georgia will not be joining NATO or the European Union any time soon. Its ability to reabsorb the secessionist region was dealt a severe setback.
Meanwhile, near-unanimous Russian domestic support for its government's decisive actions signifies a profound strengthening of the new Dmitry Medvedev presidency.

Labels: EU, Georgia, Russia, US

For the complete report from the globeandmail.com click on this link

US Ambassador to Moscow says - Russia's first Georgia move legitimate

The U.S. ambassador to Moscow, in a rare U.S. comment endorsing Russia's initial moves in Georgia, described the Kremlin's first military response as legitimate after Russian troops came under attack. U.S officials, including President George W. Bush, have strongly criticized Moscow's subsequent action but have not focused on the initial chain of events that triggered the conflict between Russian and U.S.-ally Georgia. The war broke out after Georgia tried to retake its Moscow-backed breakaway region of South Ossetia, prompting a counter-attack by Russian forces.

Labels: Georgia, Russia, US

For the complete report of the downeast Coastal Press click on this link

GEORGIA: How the Hawks Won - by Zoltán Dujisin

Georgia's step towards military confrontation comes after an increase in authoritarian and militaristic tendencies in a country that dealt catastrophically with Russia's pressure.In recent months hawks have gained the upper hand in Georgia, making the military option more realistic, in spite of Western warnings to abstain from aggressive rhetoric and military action. Last May Archil Gegeshidze from the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies wrote in the Russian Analytical Digest that Georgia lacked "political discussion and open public debate on how to solve the problem by peaceful means." This month Georgian Minister for Reintegration Temur Iakobashvili warned it would be "foolish to engage in a confrontation in the Tskhinvali region (i.e. South Ossetia) because it is bound to affect civilians immediately."

Labels: Georgia, Russia, US

For the complete report from The Guardian click on this link

Bush rebuking Russia? Putin must be splitting his sides - by Simon Jenkins

Putin would die laughing if he read this week's American newspapers. The president, George Bush, declared the Russian invasion of Georgia "disproportionate and unacceptable". This is taken as a put-down to the vice-president, Dick Cheney, who declared the invasion "will not go unanswered", apparently something quite different. Bush says that great powers should not go about "toppling governments in the 21st century", as if he had never done such a thing. Cheney says that the invasion has "damaged Russia's standing in the world", as if Cheney gave a damn. The lobby for sanctions against Russia is reduced to threatening to boycott the winter Olympics. Big deal.What is clear is that the Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili, is a poor advertisement for a Columbia University education. He thought he could reoccupy South Ossetia and call Russia's bluff while Putin was away at the Olympics. He found it was not bluff. Putin was waiting for just such an invitation to humiliate a man he loathes, and to deter any other Russian border state from applying to join Nato, an organization Russia had itself sought to join until it was rudely rebuffed.

Saakashvili thought he could call on the support of his neoconservative allies in Washington. Tbilisi is one of the few world cities in which Bush's picture is a pin-up and where an avenue is named after him. It turned out that such "support" was mere words.

Labels: EU, EU Russia, Georgia, USA

For the complete report from the SFGate click on this link

On Conflict in Georgia : Georgia unleashed this war

Although there has been widespread coverage in the American and European media of the tragic events unfolding in South Ossetia, essential background information about the conflict has often been omitted. First and foremost, nearly all of the articles avoid calling Georgia's action on Aug. 7 what it was - a clear act of military aggression by Georgia directed against the residents of South Ossetia and the Russian peacekeepers deployed in the region.It also seems to have been largely forgotten in the Western press that this is the second time that such a tragedy has happened. In the early 1990s, President Zviad Gamsakhurdia, then the leader of Georgia, proclaimed a policy of "Georgia for Georgians," abolished the autonomous status of South Ossetia (even though two-thirds of the population of South Ossetia is ethnic Ossetian or Russian rather than Georgian), and launched war against its people. It was after the resulting bloodshed (more that 1,000 killed and 2,500 wounded, many of them civilians) that a peacekeeping coalition comprised of Georgians, Ossetians, and Russians was established. Russian peacekeepers have been stationed in South Ossetia since that time to make sure that there is no further violation of peace in the conflict zone.

On the opening day of the Olympic Games - a symbol of peace and international cooperation - Georgia for the second time unleashed war in South Ossetia, violating the cease-fire that it had agreed to earlier in the day by attacking Russian peacekeepers, civilians, residences and humanitarian convoys. In this situation, Russia had no other choice but to respond. One might expect Georgia's violation of the cease-fire and use of force against South Ossetians to be met with strong international condemnation, but this did not occur. Instead, we saw attempts by some American experts and politicians to shift responsibility away from their Georgian ally by attributing to Russia ulterior motives in its response to the attack, such as the wish to restore its domination over this former part of the Soviet Union, to obstruct NATO enlargement, and so on.

Labels: EU, Georgia, NATO. US, Russia

For the complete report from the Asheville Citizen-Times click on this link

"Making sense of the Russia-Georgia conflict requires unbiased examination - by Joy Franklin

Many things influence how a person or a group views a political situation like the unfolding drama in Georgia and South Ossetia. Identification, self-interest, fear, ideology and many other factors weigh in as we watch from afar.The citizens of Asheville’s Sister City, Vladikavkaz, located in the Russian Republic of North Ossetia-Alania in the foothills of the Caucuses, see the conflict in very different terms. And for them, it’s much more personal. Vladikavkaz is only a few miles from South Ossetia where the majority of the population, like that of North Ossetia, is Ossetian. “I cannot even try to explain in words how terrible it was in Tskhinvali (South Ossetian capital) and other villages on the nights beginning with the eve of the 8 of August (beginning of the Olimpiade, by the way) and up till now,” Georgy A. Tuayev, a native North Ossetian who lives in Vladikavkaz, wrote in an e-mail to his friend Kitty Boniske on Aug. 10.

Though internationally South Ossetia is viewed as part of Georgia, as far as Tauyev and most Ossetians are concerned, South Ossetia is independent of Georgia. “To start with I want to remind you that this is not the first war that Georgia has unleashed against South Ossetia,” Tauyev said in his e-mail. “You remember that almost the same scenario was played out in the early ’90s. At that time South Ossetia managed to survive and protect its independence from Georgia, although thousands of South Ossetians have fled to North Ossetia and most of them stayed here.”

Labels: EU, Georgia, Russia

For the complete report from Bloomberg.com click on this link

Russia's War With Georgia May Revive U.S.-Europe Rift - by Mark Deen and Reed V. Landberg

Russia's attack on Georgia may reopen a U.S. rift with European Union leaders over how the trans-Atlantic alliance should deal with its main Cold War adversary. While President George W. Bush dispatched U.S. air and naval forces to deliver ``vigorous'' humanitarian aid to Georgia, the EU's foreign ministers have carefully avoided assigning blame for the conflict and plan to send non-military monitors to the region only later this year. Europe's caution in responding to Russia's first major offensive since the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union illustrates differences with the U.S. over the military role of the EU and the development of trade and energy links with Russia.In parallel to the falling out over Iraq in 2003, divisions exist in Europe over how hard a line to take with Russia. Countries subject to Soviet rule during the Cold War are pushing for a tougher response, while the richer Western Europeans want to play down conflict.

Trade between Russia and the EU jumped 23 percent in 2007 to $284 billion, making the EU Russia's biggest trading partner and Russia the bloc's third-largest partner. The EU also depends on Russia to supply a quarter of its natural gas.

Labels: Atlantic Alliance, EU, Georgia, New Europe, Old Europe, Russia, US

For the complete report from "The Nation" click on this link

Georgia War: A Neocon Election Ploy? - by Robert Scheer

Is it possible that this time the October surprise was tried in August, and that the garbage issue of brave little Georgia struggling for its survival from the grasp of the Russian bear was stoked to influence the US presidential election?

Before you dismiss that possibility, consider the role of one Randy Scheunemann, for four years a paid lobbyist for the Georgian government, ending his official lobbying connection only in March, months after he became Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain's senior foreign policy adviser. Previously, Scheunemann was best known as one of the neoconservatives who engineered the war in Iraq when he was a director of the Project for a New American Century. It was Scheunemann who, after working on the McCain 2000 presidential campaign, headed the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, which championed the US Iraq invasion.

Labels: EU, Georgia, Russia, US, US elections

For the complete report from Alternet click on this link

America Watches the War in Georgia with Dumb Goggles - by Mark Ames

Five days after Georgia invaded and seized the breakaway separatist region of South Ossetia, sparking a larger-scale Russian invasion to drive Georgian forces back and punish their leaders, Russia surprised its Western detractors by calling a halt to the country's offensive. After all, the mainstream media, egged on by hawkish neocon pundits and their candidate John McCain, had everyone believing that Russia was hellbent on the full-scale annihilation and annexation of democratic Georgia.Up until now, this war was framed as a simple tale of Good Helpless Democratic Guy Georgia versus Bad Savage Fascist Guy Russia. In fact, it is far more complex than this, morally and historically. Then there are two concentric David and Goliath narratives here. The initial war pitted the Goliath Georgia-a nation of 4.4 million, with vastly superior numbers, equipment and training thanks to US and Israeli advisers-against David-Ossetia, with a population of between 50,000-70,000 and a local militia force that is barely battalion strength. Reports coming out of South Ossetia tell of Georgian rockets and artillery leveling every building in the capital city, Tskhinvali, and of Georgian troops lobbing grenades into bomb shelters and basements sheltering women and children.

At the root of this conflict is a clash of two twentieth-century guiding principles in international relations. Georgia, backed by the West, is claiming its right as a sovereign nation to control the territory within its borders, a guiding principle since World War II. The Ossetians are claiming their right to self-determination, a guiding principle since World War I. These two guiding concepts for international relations-national sovereignty and the right to self-determination-are locked in a zero-sum battle in Georgia. Sometimes, the West takes the side of national sovereignty, as it is in the current war; other times, it sides with self-determination and redrawing of national borders, such as with Kosovo.

Labels: EU, Georgia, Russia, US

For the complete report from the National Post click on this link

'New Europe' shows resolve' - "or are they just plain wrong like they were on Iraq?" - by Peter Goodspeed

The Five Day War has revealed deep new divisions between Old and New Europe.

There is an obvious rift within the EU's 27 member states and between former Soviet satellite states who want to take tough action against Moscow and the Western European powers who cautiously warn against antagonizing a resurgent Russia.Ironically, the divisions almost mirror the splits that surfaced in Europe over the 2003 invasion of Iraq, when Donald Rumsfeld, then the defense secretary, dismissed invasion critics, saying, "You're thinking of Europe as Germany and France. I don't. I think that's old Europe." His comments raised a furor, with Europeans accusing him of being both wrong and undiplomatic. Today, European tensions between the ageing West and the impatient, still insecure newcomers from the East are increasingly evident.

More immediately, New Europe's fears of being the next potential target of Russian aggression spurred Poland to conclude an agreement with Washington yesterday, establishing a controversial anti-missile defense shield on Polish soil. After 18 months of inconclusive bargaining, they signed a deal in which Washington will set up its new anti-missile shield in exchange for a promise to base 10 Patriot anti-missile batteries permanently in Poland. Washington also agreed to a mutual defense pact that commits each country to come to the others aid in a crisis.

Note EU-Digest "Some of the former European east block countries which are now members of the EU and who have enormously benefited from the economic aid provided to them by the EU seem to be unwilling to be part of a common European policy. They rather prefer to be part of the US sphere of influence. This should not be acceptable and they must be made to understand by the majority of the EU members that this behaviour is not conducive to the unity of the European Union.".

Labels: EU, EU Russia, European Unity, Georgia, New Europe, Poland, Russia; US

Georgia: Europe wins a gold medal for defeatism | Gerard Baker - Times Online

"Georgia: Europe wins a gold medal for defeatism
Sarkozy's ‘peace in our time' deal is a reminder of what could happen if the EU wins more clout

To some, China's muscular domination of the Olympic medal table is a powerful allegory of the shifting balance of global power. A far better and more literal testimony to the collapse of the West may be seen in the distinctly weak-kneed response to Russian aggression in Georgia by what is still amusingly called the transatlantic alliance."

Labels: Atlantic Alliance, Europe, Georgia, Russia

For the complete report from the Earth Times click on this link

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev insisted Russia's military action in Georgia was necessary to protect the safety of its citizens, after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Black Sea resort of Sochi Friday. "It was appropriate and necessary to protect the security of our citizens," Medvedev told a joint German Russian press conference after the meeting. He described Russia as "the guarantor of security in the Caucasus and the region" and said Russian troops would remain in Georgia. Medvedev said the main issue was to "restore peace and to ensure that nobody again has such idiotic ideas," in a clear attack on Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Merkel stressed the need to implement a six-point plan put forward by President Nicolas Sarkozy earlier this week under France's presidency of the European Union. Russian troops should withdraw from central Georgia, where they have taken up positions around the city of Gori, she said, although she acknowledged some Russian actions were reasonable. She stressed the need for both peacekeepers and observers to be stationed in the crisis region.

Labels: Georgia, Medvedev, Russia

For the complete report from The Irish Times click on this link

Georgia: Rivals say they plan to remove Georgian president - by Charles Clover

Levan Gachechiladze, Mr Saakashvili's former campaign manager, who ran against him in January's presidential elections, said Georgia's political opposition would campaign for elections to be held "at the earliest opportunity", perhaps within two months. "This government has no chance of establishing trust with Georgians," he said. Kakha Kukava, secretary-general of the opposition Conservative party of Georgia, similarly criticised the president for the war. "Saakashvili was personally responsible for the military operation, and for starting a war we could not win," he said, adding that his party would wait until the situation had cooled and then call for mass demonstrations aimed at removing the government.

Labels: EU, Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, Russia

For the complete report from the RIA Novosti click on this link

U.S., U.K. officially pull out of Russia-NATO joint exercise

The U.S. and Britain have officially pulled out of a Russia-NATO naval exercise in the Sea of Japan slated for August 15-23, a spokesman for the Russian Pacific Fleet said on Friday. The destroyer, U.S.S. McCampbell (DDG-85), and Royal Navy frigate, HMS Kent were due to have taken part in the FRUKUS exercise off Russia's coast.He said that the French frigate, Vendemiaire, and Russia's Marshal Shaposhnikov ASW ship had successfully held bilateral drills in the Sea of Japan as had earlier been agreed.

Labels: EU, Georgia, Military, Russia

For the complete report from About.com click on this link

Is the United States Poking the Bear? - by Keith Porter

"At my house, when one of the kids deliberately does something known to antagonize another family member, we say they are "poking the bear." Today, with U.S.-Russian relations at a state of high tension over the Georgia conflict, the United States might have just poked the bear. "An agreement to place American anti-missile interceptors in Poland was announced yesterday even though the Russian are strongly opposed to