Thursday, August 14, 2008

MIKHAIL SAAKASHVILI IS A WAR CRIMINAL

Amid the slavish devotion of America's leaders to the adventurist in Tblisi, and the barrage of pro-Georgian anti-Russian wafflegab coming from Washington, there are some signs that not everybody is in love with Mikhail Saakashvili.

At least on the other side of the pond some news organizations are more realistic about who started the slug-fest, which group of civilians got it in the shorts, who is in the wrong, and why.

News coming out of South Ossetia make it fairly clear that Georgia's leaders are a less than savoury bunch - headed by a man who should be delivered for trial to the Hague.


Excerpts from a BBC article:

"Barely a building in the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali escaped unscathed from the fighting that began last week ... "

"Everywhere, there are mountains of shattered glass. Those who didn't flee South Ossetia as refugees are now emerging from their basements to begin the clean-up. "

"...many Ossetians I met both in Tskhinvali and in the main refugee camp in Russia - are furious about what has happened to their city.
They are very clear who they blame: Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili, who sent troops to re-take control of this breakaway region. That effort has clearly backfired. The pro-Russian sentiment I experienced on my last visit four years ago has become far fiercer as a result of this conflict. "

"Look how many people died here! We can never join Georgia after this. We'll cope on our own."

" "We were bombed for three days and nights. If Russia had not helped, we would have disappeared," Lusya's neighbour Elena said, visibly angry. "Only Russia takes us under its wing. We want to be with Russia." "

"Despite international calls for a withdrawal, there is no sign of Russia pulling its troops out of Ossetia. By Wednesday, they had received an order to cease fire, but not to leave.
Their presence is popular with many locals, who wave as soldiers drive past in the street. "

"This conflict has already destroyed any trust between Georgian and Ossetians. It now looks like any chance there was of reconciliation is burning along with the houses."

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7558619.stm

[Note: There are many more sources that say much the same thing; the problem is that they are all in 'Foreignese', which is something many of my readers do not comprehend. Hence my citing of only one news source.]


Now, I know there is more to this than the pipe-lines, and oil. But claiming that Mikhail Saakashvili is a progressive, and his country a beacon of liberty and democracy is just a load of horse manure. The man is an oaf and a kleptocrat and his country is on par with the brutal regimes that once littered America's own back yard.

I have scant sympathy for the Georgians in this matter, and really wish our politicians would learn to shut up if they cannot learn the facts. Lending credence to mr. Saakashvili's opportunistic pandering makes a whore out him - no problem, he seems to have a hang for it - but also makes a whore out of us. It may be a talent of ours also, but it would be meet of our leaders to not be blatant about it.

We are better than that; bugger the gangsters in Tblisi .

15 comments:

e-kvetcher said...

It's ridiculous to try to sort this stuff out. There are no 'innocents' - it's just as bad as the Balkans or the Middle East.

Take what's happened in Abkhazia.

A lot of this has to do with the fact that these regions are filled with dozens of ethnic minorities who all want their independence and have centuries of grudges to avenge.

e-kvetcher said...

You're absolutely right about the fact that the blatant propaganda as reported by the American media. Makes me (not so fondly) recall my youth back in the USSR.

The back of the hill said...

It's ridiculous to try to sort this stuff out. There are no 'innocents' - it's just as bad as the Balkans or the Middle East.


Not really a question of innocence. More a question of who is guilty of what.

e-kvetcher said...

>More a question of who is guilty of what.

Well, then you'll never get to the end of it... And we can stray into Chechnya and Dagestan and Nagorno-Karabakh...

Read Hadji Murat by Leo Tolstoy...

Anonymous said...

If they are on our side, we say god smiles on them. If not, everything they do is dross.


---Grant Patel

Spiros said...

I'd say it's more a question of challenging the medias' somewhat Orwellian formulation:
"Georgian, good.
Russian, bad."

Anonymous said...

Yes, Sakashivil is bad man and war criminal.

Georgia attacked Russia with no provocation and killed so many brave Russian soldiers defending against Georgian aggression

Soon Russia must be ready to defend against Polish and Ukrainian and Czech aggression and restore the peaceful days of the USSR in one peaceful collection of brotherly nations free of aggression and with Shakashvili tried as war criminal and sent to proper place in the north for such people

Thank you for your support

Anonymous said...

Citaat:
"De Georgiërs, zo lijkt het, konden hun zenuwen niet langer bedwingen en hebben toegehapt, in de hoop op onvoorwaardelijke steun van de VS en de EU. Een misrekening, die Rusland een uitgelezen kans bood te interveniëren, het imago en de Navo-aspiraties van Georgië een gevoelige knauw toe te brengen en Abchazië en Zuid-Ossetië verder los te weken."

En:
"In de optiek van Moskou zijn de acties tegen Georgië legitiem. De troepen in Abchazië en Zuid-Ossetië zijn er om eigen burgers te beschermen. Op eigen initiatief heeft Rusland besloten het conflictgebied te 'demilitariseren' door materieel van de Georgiërs onschadelijk te maken en zelfs marineschepen tot zinken te brengen. "

Verder:
"Oekraïne voert de druk op rond de Zwarte-Zeevloot. Nieuwe Navo-lidstaten als Estland, Letland, Litouwen en Polen vormen nu een hecht pro-Georgisch blok binnen de Navo. Meer dan ooit dreigt Rusland internationaal in een isolement te raken. "

Bron:
http://www.ad.nl/buitenland/2531642/Russische_beer_staat_in_de_kou.html

Een verrassend evenredig stuk.
Ik sta versteld.

Anonymous said...

A plague on all their goats.

Anonymous said...

No plagues on goats! Any or all.

The goats, as the most intelligent species in the Krimea, must be saved. Fly the goats to Israel, then bomb them all - goat will know his own!



---Grant Patel

Anonymous said...

Oh, the huge goat itty!



---Grant Patel

Anonymous said...

Several nuts. Few sanes.


Lev

Spiros said...

Never ignore the nuts!

Anonymous said...

Did someone call my name?


---Grant Patel

Anonymous said...

Do you want to buy a duck?


---Grant Patel

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