(We’re talking about Russia and Georgia this time)

If you’ve watched the news anytime in the past few days you’ve seen alarming footage of Russian tanks crossing into Georgia, apartment buildings with whole walls sheared off and skirted with piles of broken cinderblock, and women weeping over bodies in civilian clothes.  What the hell is going on?

The background, as best as I can piece it together:  Georgia was under Russian rule for almost two centuries, gaining independence in 1991 with the fall of the Soviet Union.  Generally speaking, Georgians allign themselves with the West and “Western values”…with the exception of two breakaway regions/states/republics, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.  Ossetians and Abkhazians see themselves as essentially (ie, ethnically) Russian–hence the split from Georgia.

Ossetia and Abkhazia, while denied international recognition as separate states, have been pretty much left to their own devices for the last 15 years.  But Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili has recently vowed to bring Ossetia back under Georgian control.  This is the ostensible justification for Russian invasion: Russia is just protecting a younger, weaker sibling.  Another possibility: Russia is enraged at the thought of Georgia joining NATO, and since NATO doesn’t admit countries that are involved in border skirmishes and, you know, wars…. Russia can sour the deal for Georgia just by picking a fight.  And oil is a factor, of course.

So there you have it.  International pressure for a cease-fire is increasing by the moment, but the Russian offensive is pushing deeper and deeper into Georgia, bombing hospitals (hospitals!) and leveling apartment complexes.  There are indications that they plan to bomb the Tbilisi airport and observers are beginning to wonder if Russia intends to simply annex Georgia.

This is all very, very bad.

Tags: georgia, russia, War