DUCKPOND

On reflection it seems to me that three additional points might be suggested in relation to Georgian foreign policy and the Georgian leadership.

While I do not have the appropriate knowledge, but if there are grounds for believing that war crimes have been committed here, which I would imagine could be the used of armed force resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians, then indictments should follow as a matter of course. And there may be grounds for those accused to mitigate their sentences, such as the role of third parties. The inevitability and facilitation of these actions is a matter for the determination of global public opinion, and nobody should be silent on that question.

Secondly, I would have thought a small country like Georgia, if it is not to have a close economic relationship with its largest neighbour Russia, may well aspire to membership in the EU, as Turkey does. The same case would apply, for example, to Ukraine. So perhaps in terms of economic viability the war does not make any sense for the Geogrians.

Thirdly, Georgia, despite the talk of it being a democracy, is in the same case as Romania and Bulgaria, both of which are reported to have experienced widespread corruption, arising from the lack of institutional and cultural development due to the years of dictatorship. One of the manifestations of this underlying situation, is the increased pressure on the political leadership, although what excuses can be made for the United States who knows.

These reflections put the situation in a different frame than those reports of the media, such as ABC News Online which reports, via Reuters:

Russia has announced to the West it will begin withdrawing forces from Georgia on Monday after a war that dealt a humiliating blow to the Black Sea state and raised fears for fuel supplies to Europe.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had told him by telephone that forces would begin leaving around midday on Monday. Mr Sarkozy, representing the European Union, said failure to pull out under a ceasefire deal would have “serious consequences” for ties with the EU.

Months of tension between Georgia and its former Soviet master erupted on August 7, when Tbilisi launched an assault to seize back control of the Russian-backed breakaway South Ossetia region. Russia said 1,600 civilians, many of them Russian citizens, were killed in the Georgian bombardment.

Russian troops fanned out beyond the boundaries of South Ossetia into the Georgian heartland, taking control of major centres including the strategically place city of Gori in fierce fighting that lasted over five days.

The Kremlin has confirmed Mr Sarkozy’s announcement made in Paris.

“From tomorrow Russia will begin the withdrawal of the military contingent which was moved to reinforce Russian peacekeepers after the Georgian aggression against South Ossetia,” it said in a statement.

First in, last out

Russia has made it clear it sees no prospect in the foreseeable future of South Ossetia, which broke with Tbilisi in 1992, being reintegrated into Georgia.

Talks are under way to establish international agreement on a peacekeeping force for South Ossetia to the security zone and to the territory of South Ossetia.

The 10-day confrontation dealt a crushing blow to the Georgian military, damaged the country’s economy and drew some criticism in the West of President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Notice that this report suggests that the Georgian leadership, rarely recognized by the media echo chamber has a prima facie case to account for war crimes.

The Pope may well be a meddling priest, but at least he is addressing the situation on the ground for the people involved, and it seems to me that his moral position would have more force if it was made together with other religious leaders. What he said, as reported , is worth considering:

Meanwhile, Pope Benedict has called for the urgent opening of humanitarian corridors between Georgia and South Ossetia to help the victims of the 10-day conflict there.

The pope said he was following with concern the situation in Georgia, particularly the plight of those displaced by the war and lacking “even the basics to survive”.

According to the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, nearly 100,000 people have been driven from their homes by the conflict.

“I call for the opening, without further delay, of humanitarian corridors between South Ossetia and the rest of Georgia so that the dead who are still abandoned can receive a proper burial, the wounded can be treated and people can rejoin their loved ones,” the pope said after his Angelus blessing.

He expressed hope that the ceasefire would turn into a stable peace and called for the rights of ethnic minorities in the region to be guaranteed.

POSTSCRIPT

Pat Buchanan, former speech writer of Richard Nixon and revisionist historian of the Second World War, makes relevant and interesting comments in his interview with Scott Horton on Antiwar.com. Similarly his article, “Blowback and Bear-Baiting” is worth a read.

Where I would have a different ideological view, is that it seems to me that American policy has been overtaken by the interests of Global Capitalism, particularly in the form of of Global Oil. I would suggest they can exercise that influence by the capture and corruption of the American political process through money and insider trading. The upcoming presidential election will not change the situation. Political fragmentation and conflict will occur because of the competing interests among the economic players, which does not significantly include either organized or non-organized labor (most of us) of the post industrial economic settlement, and which will ultimately see either the drawback (witness the Soviet Union) of the American Empire, or global catastrophe combined with global warming. I do not see the intellectual basis, the equivalence for example of Paradise Lost to set out the narrative for the cultural paradigm change that has to take place on a planetary basis, nor do I see the institutional frames for diverse expression of humankind. So I do not see the constructive basis for the necessary political structures and processes for the planet, which will have to emerge very quickly and uniformly.