Stories about War & Conflict from August, 2008
Georgia: Unfrozen Conflicts
Marilisa Lorusso's Blog comments on the conflict between Georgia and Russia over South Ossetia and says that the military solution has brought the world closer to a new Cold War. However, the blog notes, while the Georgian president continues to survive defeat on the battlefield, a political solution would have...
Georgia: Security in the Caucasus
Security in the Caucasus, a new blog established by a PhD candidate at the London School of Economics currently undertaking field work in the region, says that the recent conflict between Russia and Georgia was largely the result of a major miscalculation by Tbilisi. The blog also says that the...
Russia, Georgia, U.S.: Michael Lee White's Passport
LJ user olegpanfilov2 links (RUS) to a newspaper story (ENG) on Michael Lee White, a China-based U.S. citizen whose passport was allegedly stolen “during a flight from Moscow to New York” in Dec. 2005. Last week, “a Russian general […] displayed a blown-up photo” of the passport and claimed that...
Northern Cyprus: Similarities with Georgia?
While discussing the plight of unrecognized states, blog Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus states that “If Russia does decide to recognize Georgia’s two separatist regions, they’d be in a diplomatic situation similar to North Cyprus.”
Georgia: Behind The Poti Lines
Behind the Poti Lines, a blog by Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, reports on the recent visit by the Georgian president to the Russian-occupied port. The blog also notes that Russian soldiers are keeping interaction with residents to a minumum and no longer buying bread and vodka from local...
Georgia: Photographs of Tskhinvali and Gori
Regional Reporters [RU] posts photographs from Tskhinvali, capital of the breakaway region of South Ossetia, and Gori, the strategic town until recently under Russian occupation, in the aftermath of the recent military conflict and war of words between Moscow and Tbilisi.
Russia: Putin on CNN
A discussion of PM Vladimir Putin's CNN interview – at Sean's Russia Blog.
Russia, Georgia: The Balkan Context
LimbicNutrition Weblog writes about the Russian-Georgian conflict in the context of the earlier events in the Balkans.
Georgia: Armenian Opposition Leader Claims Genocide
Archuk's blog criticizes the first president of the Republic of Armenia and radical opposition leader, Levon Ter-Petrossian, for claiming that the Russian invasion of Georgia was justifiable in order to prevent “Genocide.”
Afghanistan: More on Civilian Deaths in Shindand
Joshua Foust reports on the UN investigation that has released its findings about the bombing incident in Shindand, Afghanistan.
Afghanistan: The Prison Break at Kandahar
Joshua Foust reviews the media coverage regarding June’s massive prison break in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and how it is effecting attitudes toward the government.
Iraq: “Egyptians Recruited to Iraq”
“According to Egyptian website Al-Mesryoon, last two months there was a campaign in America to recruit Egyptians as interpreters in the American forces and to be sent to Iraq. The Americans offer Green Card to Egyptians who sign a contract to work for at least six months, and the recruiters...
Iraq: Selling Fuel in Baghdad
“The gas and the fuel for cars has always been a problem for Iraqis inside Iraq, the irony that Iraq has one of the worlds largest reservoirs of oil is not lost on Iraqis,” says Alive in Baghdad, which posts a video on the situation here.
Georgia, Russia, Serbia: The Use (or Abuse) of Some Historical Facts?
Serbian bloggers follow closely the situation in the Caucasus region. Many of them compared and analyzed the Kosovo issue and the newest opportunities in South Ossetia. Some of them were careful to express their own thoughts and mainly cited thoughts of politicians. Here is a post by a Serbian blogger who quoted in his blog some pieces of the last statements by Russia's government officials, who linked military operations in Georgia to certain historical events.
Western Sahara: Goodbye Peter Van Walsum
Western Sahara Info reports that the mandate of Peter Van Walsum, personal envoy of the UN secretary-general for Western Sahara, has not been renewed.
Georgia: Blogging the War
The conflict between Georgia and Russia over the breakway territory of South Ossetia was accompanied by cyber-attacks on several Georgian government and independent media sites. But rather than prevent journalists from utilizing the Internet to report on the war, it achieved the opposite. Many Georgians — media professionals and citizen journalists alike — set up blogs to report or comment on the conflict. Global Voices Online speaks to Giga Paitchadze, a veteran local blogger.
South Ossetia, Russia: Photos From Tskhinvali and Vladikavkaz
Photo reports (RUS) by LJ user photomans: from Tskhinvali – here; from a refugee camp in Vladikavkaz – here.
Russia: Anti-War Music
LJ user marchenk posts a collection of links (RUS) to videos of various anti-war songs in Russian, French, English, Italian, German, Hebrew, Serbian, Spanish, Polish, Arabic and other languages.
South Ossetia: Photos From Tskhinvali
Photos from Tskhinvali – by LJ user grend (RUS).
Georgia: Recklessness & Recognition
Although noting that Russia oversteppend the mark by invading Georgia, Registan says that Moscow's gambit in the South Caucasus paid off. However, the blog notes, it required a temperamental, reckless and impulsive leader such as the Georgian president, Mikhail Saakashvili, in order to succeed.
Georgia: Different Opinions on South Ossetia
Registan responds to a post made by Michael J. Totten on the conflict in South Ossetia. The blog strongly disagrees with the background to the conflict between Russia and Georgia put forward at a government press conference in Tbilisi.