Information Links & Sources for the (short) war in South Ossetia (2)
iosaf | 12.08.2008 14:09 | Analysis | Anti-militarism | World
This article will Follow on from the daily updated series of links & sources which began on the 8th of August on the conflict between Georgia & Russia & the aspirations to statehood by both South Ossetia & Abkhazia.
As a bonus extra this article also compiles all IMC UK & IMC Russia pieces which has so far appeared.
the website of the South Ossetian information service which launched an appeal for Russian intervention and though not important on a daily basis now is still to be watched for the unfolding verification of genocide claims.
http://cominf.org/
the official news agency of Russia http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/
their main portal http://www.russiatoday.ru/
Timeline from the Russian media http://www.russiatoday.ru/news/news/28684
Russian langauge South Ossetian pro-independence magazine last updated 2/8/08.
http://ugo-osetia.ru/index.html
Abkhazian News ( in Russian ) bit of date but offers perspective on EU acceptance of Russian interests in Abkhazia as a legitimate 3rd party & speculated last week on free trade area and South Ossetian independence
http://www.abhazia.com/
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Georgia
the press room of the state of Georgia http://www.mfa.gov.ua/mfa/en
their main English title http://www.georgiatoday.ge/index.php
Tbilisi-based weekly online magazine "Caucaz" in English
http://www.caucaz.com/home_eng/Armenia_Georgia_Azerbaijan.php?pays=5
Svobodnaya Gruzia (Independent Georgia) in Russian.
http://www.svobodnaya-gruzia.com/
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IMC Russia
IMC Russia has seen one discussion thread on the war begin.
http://ru.indymedia.org/newswire/display/20803/index.php
and one call to sympathy http://ru.indymedia.org/newswire/display/20805/index.php which appears to be copy and paste of the Cominf
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The Wikipedia pages
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_South_Ossetia_%282008%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tskhinvali
(Wikirage is a page which shows you which entries are receiving the most edits per unique editor over various periods of time). http://www.wikirage.com/wiki/War_in_South_Ossetia_(2008)/
http://www.wikirage.com/wiki/Battle_of_Tskhinvali/
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IMC UK articles which each have comments & are important in that they reflect a chronological flow of info, disinfo and public opinion background noise, this is one of the great worths of indymedia :-
1. "US puppy Georgia provokes war with Russia" by melchert | 08.08.2008 13:40 | https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/405920.html
2. "Information Links & Sources for the (short) war in South Ossetia" the first part of this thread https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/405939.html
3. " Israel Aids Georgia in Caspian Oil Pipeline Battle with Russia" by DEBKAh ttps://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/405945.html
4. "Major Geopolitical crisis looms in ME as world watches Olympics" by afrikaforps
https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/405968.html
5. "Russia-Georgia conflict: it's about oil...again!" (first cartoon by Latuff) https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406294.html
6. "Bodies are lying everywhere. It’s hell’" by newsbuddy https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406324.html
7. "Russia-Georgia conflict: another cartoon (by Latuff)"
https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406386.html
8. " Russia, Georgia and South Ossetia" by Harold https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406517.html
9. "georgia - war London meeting" https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406518.html
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IN the first part of this article (A second only appears as the first has left the newswire) I mentioned bibles an diapazam. What might seem total cynicism on my part was actually calculated. By now everyone knows that Russian tanks are rolling through Georgia and nobody can stop them. For a generation who have focussed their global view and activism mostly but not exclusively on Iraq, Afghanistan, perhaps Iran undoubtedly many considering African or Latin American issues - Russia has seemed a rusted giant and curiousity of a now lost age. A generation have come to forget what superpower really means having become used and conditioned to the exercise of such hard power by only one superpower - the USA.
The USA does bibles. They not only make them, having given the world an updated one (the book of mormon) but they read them everyday, make telly, movies and even shortwave radio broadcasts about them. They really like nothing which doesn't fit into their quaint & disturbingly paranoid apocalyptic understanding of scripture.
So just before you reach for the diapazam, what does the land of Georgia where George the dragon slaying patron of England, Portugal, Germany and Catalonia mean to you? Did you know the original dragon was red? All over the praries of the USA, good voting folk have just realised that for years they have justified their hatred of China by thinking it was the red dragon of armageddon.
You can have that diapazam now.
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Russia has ordered a ceasefire.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7555858.stm
it was never going to be the end of the world & that was obvious by how cynical most commentators and even the beligerent parties were. We have a lot to learn from the disinformation and propaganda as much from our younger generations' reactions to this. They who want a multi-polar world seemed to caught on the hop by how it actually would work.
iosaf
Homepage:
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/405939.html
Comments
Hide the following 5 comments
"¿tell us Rabbi Abba Ipsiphi, what's gonna happen next Do we need to loot vets?"
12.08.2008 20:47
hindsight is 20:20 which is why history helps soothsayers earn a crust
Meanwhile our local western spin and interpretation and reaction and blame allocation is now of paramount importance to understanding * what occured * what will come to pass.
to the archive of IMC UK pieces above I'd add : " southosetia: anotherone oil-war" a art work by
pacogarabato whose concerns are generally Africa. http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406531.html
"The Russian response is legitimate" by Troops Out | 12.08.2008 15:48
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406530.html
"War in the Caucasus: Towards a Broader Russia-US Military Confrontation?"
by Michel Chossudovsky | 12.08.2008 http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406545.html
which points us to familiar territory like a new cold war & forgetting all about Bush Junior's war on terror and muslims or Bush senior's New World Order. Though of course this point of view won't be put that way in those words.
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I maintain my position which i first published Feb 17th 2008 under the telling author name "Abkhazian Basque with a South Ossetian granny. - (lucky to get on the national selection - I thank the eyebrows for that)" that recognising Kosovo was, is and will be the key to understanding the last week's show of Russian strength and pro-US Georgian weakness and crass propaganda.
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/86293
Without being indulgent, I'd like to air a hunch - last night I set up a shortwave antenna on my home in Catalonia, the first time I've done so since the Burma/Myanmar crises of Sept.2007. For those who were too young to remember the "Cold War" or perhaps have really forgotten what it was about through its many permutations (constant conflictive coexistence & games & high employment for intelligence workers), the role of radio was really very very very important. I'd refer to this article of 2006 ["the end of liberty" http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/03/336584.html ] which I published the day western radio broadcasting antenna into the east were demolished & the "plaza mayo" mothers of the disappeared of Argentina held their last demonstration against the legacy of the US backed military dictatorship (c/f http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/world/2006/03/336582.html ).
Radio signals both into and out of the East which was Poland and then became the Ukraine and is now Georgia & Kurdistan were of vital importance. Last night as I quickly scanned the usual signals I found to my shock that only the Peoples' Republic of China's global radio, that of Germany and the bible channel of Kentucky were emitting clearly without jamming signals. I'm not a radio signals expert. But my hunch is that this inteference in VOA, BBC, RM and even the radio of the Vatican ought be mentioned and archived along with the now well known cyberwar dimension to this conflict. (c/f http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/world/2006/03/336582.html )
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The names we give wars tell us as much about our prejudices and assumptions of peaceful status quo than about the actual method by which people are killed and their homes turned to rubble.
This conflict was and is called the "2008 south ossetian war". Not a "Russia v. Georgia" war nor even "the Abkhazian war for liberation" which coincided with "The south Ossetian war for independence".
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latest news from the people who put Borat on their Comedy Nation slot & have been gurgling about the employment opportunities of a new cold war since the last one ended.
"Russia 'backs Georgia peace plan'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7557457.stm
Georgian angle :
"Six point plan of principles in purpose to settle the conflict" 12 August Tue 2008, 20:09:16
http://www.georgiatoday.ge/news_details.php?id=25&version=420
Russian angle :
"Medvedev and Sarkozy devise peace plan" August 12, 2008, 23:42.
http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28896
aint that sweet? all the time Georgia was waving their EU flag (for American consumption not ours - is it too early to wonder whether that was Obama or mc Cain voter consumption?) & now Sarko goes and does a deal with Moscow.
peace on earth
and good will to all sentients.
Climate camp is more important in the long run.
iosaf = o as if = sofia = ipsiphi
Georgian drone shot down - Russians deny breaking ceasefire - Gorby speaks!
13.08.2008 18:01
Once upon a time before Glasnost or Pizza - Gorby's birthmark was airbrushed.
The Russian side :-
"Russian troops not heading to Tbilisi - Russia"
[......Russia has officially denied reports its troops have entered Georgian territory beyond the conflict zone, in breach of the ceasefire agreement. Throughout the day, major international news channels have been reporting that Russian tanks were in the Georgian town of Gori and heading towards the capital Tbilisi.......]
http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28947
Today's opinion poll on the English language pages of Russian media asks
"What was the point of this conflict for Georgia?" so far
21% say "An opportunity to restore its territorial integrity by force"
37% say "An attempt to provoke Russia and be seen as a victim"
12% see it as "A chance to test its ties with the West"
& a whopping 30% think "No point. Saakashvili is insane, as was this war"
As western news reports "irregulars" (mercenaries or have-a-go types?) and some Russians crossing demarcation lines [which were touched on in the first article of this series http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/405939.html the Russians for their part claim to have shot down a drone and found a map which proves the Georgians were prepared to invade Abkhazia. The "captured map" just looks like a normal map with scribbles in Georgian to me. http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28931
August 13th Russian timeline :
http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28927
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The Georgian side :-
They insist Russian troops are moving through Gori to their capital, that Russian troops are behaving "unprofessionally" accusing them specifically of robbing a Georgian politician's car & that the Russians have sunk Georgian coast guard vessels in Poti port.
August 13th Georgian timeline http://www.georgiatoday.ge/news_details.php?id=29&version=420
Also of interest is the first time the Georgians have addressed the question of genocide and ethnic cleansing. http://www.georgiatoday.ge/news_details.php?id=28&version=420
The magazines and journals which I linked to in the first article of this series & again above have now either updated their contents or more pertinently come back online. The Russian language "independent Georgia" repeating the government line of attacks on Georgians & a breach of ceasefire in the Gori corridor. http://www.svobodnaya-gruzia.com/news/?p=146/010 As for ethnic cleansing that same newspaper reports that the Georgians are to take Russia to the Hague http://www.svobodnaya-gruzia.com/news/?p=146/07
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Western reporting :-
For those who might wonder is this "the end of New World Order" the next article will be a real treat. Mikhail Gorbachev was of course the last top man in the Soviet Union and for quite a while a household name in the west who seemed to quite like his dinky ways and introduction of concepts like "glasnost" and "perestroika". "The Guardian" has offered him space on their "comment is free" section & this is what he has had to say about it all, basically that Russia had no choice, an article tellingly titled "We had no choice" :-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/13/russia.georgia1
it's "us" and "them" if you get my point.
George Bush is not really a character or thin gnarly edge of wedge that any peaceloving or diplomatically optimistic person would want shoving their snout in anywhere. Alas, he has now announced that the USAF will bring humanitarian aid to Georgia. That might go down very well in New Orleans where the locals recall with glee the speed at which Halliburton set up burger stalls for them after a hurricane - but to regional analysts it seems a bit of a wanton taking advantage of the situation to get USAF and US personel on the ground.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7559252.stm
as a slight aside but archived here (for my own benefit perhaps) as I want to tie the two stories together in the future, Serbian media reaction to South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russia and Georgia would of course be quite interesting considering the history of Kosovo, how we almost all agree that recognising Kosovo had a role to play in aspirations of both Ossetians and Abkhazians. So it is odd that for their part the main titles of Serbian media have almost completely ignored the subject. A story of Radovan Karadzic’s bag containing a laptop and files which was found at a checkpoint has now taken centre stage. http://blic.co.yu/infocus.php?id=2714 Only two weeks that "mystery laptop" was tabloid speculation and sensationalism (c/f 2nd comment to the article "Human Interest angles on Karadzic's Detenion" http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/07/405087.html?c=on )
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additional IMC UK pieces,
(1) more on the "it's all a zionist plot" interpretation - "The Israeli & US Roles in Georgian Conflict" by The Real Axis of Evil | 13.08.2008 01:02 :-
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406604.html
(2) Latuff's 3rd cartoon is titled "Imperialist Olympics in Caucasus" http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406625.html
bonus extras -
a piece arguing that Russian anarchism ought work to detain Russian imperialism published a few days ago on IMC Russia - so far it has evinced no comments. http://ru.indymedia.org/newswire/display/20821/index.php
Yesterday saw the first thread appear on the war on Belarus IMC, that state which lies between Poland and Russia and was a former Soviet state. It's a nasty place, repressive and polluted and not really high on the media freedom index which then surprises one that an IMC is operational for that space. That thread seems to have provoked mostly anti-war comments without taking sides.
http://belarus.indymedia.org/14067
& of course anyone who recognises the name Gorbachev will I hope appreciate the illustration I've fished out for today's updates. It shows him without that birthmark formation on his head which sent US christian fundamentalists to digging nuclear shelters as soon as he came to power. That was one of the most important elements of the "cold war". - paranoia and dodgy representation.
You couldn't believe photos - you couldn't trust newspapers. But muslims were generally blameless. The old world order was a very cosy world.
iosaf
what's sauce for Goose is sauce for Gander (or suitable vegan alternative)
14.08.2008 14:49
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7559850.stm I put that illustration here http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406604.html?c=on#c201917 But have so far left off exploring the Polish angle in defending Georgian state servers. [ That hunch I spoke of up the page, n the first comment, is still niggling, you see, back when we had the Belorus crises, it was Poland who resurrected the shortwave array of radio liberty to blast Belorussians with propaganda whilst simultanously hacking Belarussian state sites.]
Yet BBC has made no mention of the jamming signals on global SW radio in the last week.
BBC do tell us that Russians are handing over control of key areas (for the second time in a generation) to Georgians http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7560100.stm
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Russian angles today :
In response to yesterday's news that Georgians would bring Russia to the Hague, the Russian General Prosecutor's Office has said Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili may also be put on trial. They are sticking with their figures that about 1,600 residents and 74 Russian "peacekeepers" were killed as a result of Georgia’s attack on South Ossetia.
Russia Today has now made a concise feature "5 days that shook the world" giving their version
http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28951
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Georgians are being all shy & letting other people talk for them. They did enjoy a phone call to Moscow
http://www.georgiatoday.ge/news_details.php?id=32&version=420
and are happy to have won 2 gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. The values of Sport and fairplay as we all know are universal truths which point to the higher potentiality of humanity achievable through great personal discipline and endevour. (Nanotech fibre latex bodysuits & genetic therapies just give you that extra edge in the pool if you're ears stick out like Mr Phelps) http://www.georgiatoday.ge/news_details.php?id=31&version=420
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Let's be honest there's not much credit or kudos even in writing or broadcasting the notion that Russia has lost credit or kudos due to this war & is somehow less popular in the drawing rooms of Western Europe. Especially not if those doing such gurgling to the masses have not worn out their blottersheets and vocal chords asking how the USA has any credit or kudos left to comment.
But that's what they're up to.
"US policy in question" http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7559855.stm
"feeling vindicated in Moscow" http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7559876.stm
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IMC UK - seems to have peaked in responses to war with the usually intense doomsayers and zionist plotters having trundled off to some other concern.
But the best still remain - The Bush regime response is well summed up by the latest Latuff cartoon :-
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406684.html
slight aside - Karadzic's mystery laptop is now to be handed to his defence team. You might remember that before the man whose shaving was supposed to symbolically end all breakaway republics, seperatism and medieval ethnic conflict in Europe for all time - had earlier spoken of a deal done to turn a blind eye to his hiding & he had no need of defence lawyers. Then came this mysterious laptop with "jolly spiffing" encryption. http://blic.co.yu/infocus.php?id=2723
iosaf...........crackle..........static..............html..........javascript
oh the goalposts moved that's because we all had our eye on the ball.
15.08.2008 20:04
The BBC tells us most of the western media is biased to Georgia.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7562611.stm
IMC isn't though.
So three Russian links to show how they are trying to deal with the propaganda thing.
Fox news cut a 12 year old girl who wanted to thank the Russians
http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/29075 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5idQm8YyJs4
"Merkel and Medvedev split over European peacekeepers"
http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/29041
(I suppose polish ones aren't welcome)
here the Russians ask you to look at Gori and compare its ruin with Tskhinvali
http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/29033
Somehow this missile shield lark & Georgia have got wrapped up in one.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/15/russia.poland.nuclear.missiles.threat
Seemingly the Germans aren't too harsh on the Russians - here's a link to Speigel English on the Merckel / Medvedev meeting http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,572408,00.html
& their previous assessment of how Putin (not Medvedev) had outmanouvred the west
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,571680,00.html
Opinion: Of Helpless Hotheads and Half- Baked Warriors
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,571230,00.html
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the missile shield which most Polish don't want which has now made a European Union member a nuclear target. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/15/russia.poland.nuclear.missiles.threat
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IMC UK - as I had written up the page we are awaiting Julie Birchall at this stage. Julie' watchers will be happy to know she has moved on from jeering Climate Campers for not being Chav enough and is now dealing with " For the love of Christ I'm a Christian Zionist, a Christian feminist and a Christian socialist. But the Christian part has become the most important"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/14/religion.anglicanism
Georgia: A Change in the Balance of Forces in World Relations.
by Sean O'Torrain | 14.08.2008
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406730.html
Caesar’s-Messiah’s Vicar Calls for Peace (Again) in Georgia?
by Seamus Breathnach | 15.08.2008 (plausibly a Julie Birchall fan)
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406814.html
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Bonus new IMC Russia article!
United Left have given their thoughts on Russian IMC on how we can move this forward to organising the working classes to end feudalism.
http://ru.indymedia.org/newswire/display/20830/index.php
iosaf
last links to the compilation.
16.08.2008 16:22
Tie-in to Israel IMC "How Anti-Iran Policy Contributed to War in the Caucasus" (that's better than just saying it was the reason) http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406874.html
"Shot" reporter "from Georgia" may be from United States" by Truth in Advertising | 16.08.2008
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406843.html
Interestingly this is the 3rd reporter said to have been injured. I mentioned 2 Georgians (Giga Chikhladze and Alexander Klimchuk) working for a Russian "Newsweek" as hvaing been shot in Tskhinvali, South Ossetia in this comment to the first article of these sources and links
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/405939.html?c=on#c201746
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Quote from Matthew Clements, Eurasia analyst at Jane's Information Group on the efficient way 6 years of US assistance to upgrade Georgia's army was destroyed in 6 days :- "These bases have only recently been upgraded to Nato standard," "They have been operationally targeted to seriously degrade the Georgian military." You can read that in "The Guardian" http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/16/georgia.russia1 coz Jane's Weekly though it sounds like a porn publication is in fact a weighty journal for people who like to know how many missiles other folks have and then look for jobs as mercenaries in the small-ads. & more importantly than that it doesn't offer free pages to pacifist analysts like you or me.
but war is good for Janes & allows them to get a bit generous so if you go their website you can enjoy 4 free issues of the warmongers' gazette for free. They might even send it to you in plain wrapping. I don't know, you'd have to ask them.
http://www.janes-defence-weekly.com/?bbcam=adwds&bbkid=Jane%27s+Defence+Weekly&x=&jtid=442059&client_code=JF+-+Google
iosaf