A Bibliography: The Truth About Georgia’s War Against South Ossetia
As a counterpoint to the pervasive U.S. media propaganda about Georgia’s invasion of South Ossetia, we are offering links to websites devoted to more accurate and truthful news and perspectives on the U.S.-Georgia offensive against South Ossetia. We’ll add to the list as time permits.
AUGUST 27, 2008
Informative links, courtesty of William Bowles: http://williambowles.info/asia/georgia-index.htmlThe Mysterious ‘Sarkozy Letter’: http://www.creative-i.info/?p=369
AUGUST 20, 2008
It’s not rocket science, folks.
Just this past weekend, there seemed to be hope. Georgia and Russia each signed the 6-point peace deal (although, granted, the U.S. pulled a sleazy, petty, underhanded trick and deleted the preamble from Georgia’s copy of the peace plan, which stated that the document was the result of an agreement between the presidents of Russia and France.
Still…. Sleazy, petty, underhanded, preamble-deleting tactic aside, a potentially catastrophic war appeared to have been averted as of this past weekend. All that was left was drafting this plan into a U.N. Security Resolution. Yet, here we are today: four of the six points have disappeared; inserted in their place is incendiary language that is not only a flagrant affront to Russia, but is spawned from false premises — outright lies — and completely contradicts the terms of the freshly-signed six-point peace plan. The newly-inserted language is the verbal equivalent of Georgia’s August 7th brutal attack on South Ossetia.
In other words, it has the U.S. written all over it.The events of today add just a bit more insult to injury. Russia countered the ridiculous 2-point draft U.N. resolution with something the media is now terming, “its own” draft U.N. resolution. The fact is, “its own” draft is no more and no less than the very 6-point peace plan that all sides agreed to and signed this weekend. Here’s the view from elsewhere in the world:
AntiWar.com: “The Narrative Versus the News: Journalism in the age of perpetual war” (excellent article, includes Georgia war)
McClatchy: “Pentagon, White House at odds over aid to Georgia” The White House is frustrated, the officials said, but the Pentagon is unperturbed.
Military.com: “Hegemon Hijinks”
The Moscow Times: “How Sarkozy Ended the Fighting” In clinching a six-point truce between Moscow and Tbilisi in three days, French President Nicolas Sarkozy carried out a diplomatic tour de force that could cement his legacy.But the actual documents signed by Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Mikheil Saakashvili are not identical, and there is a third copy of the peace plan with the signatures of the leaders of Georgia’s separatist republics, Abkhazia’s Sergei Bagapsh and South Ossetia’s Eduard Kokoity.
Reuters: “Russia Circulates Own Draft U.N. Resolution“
Reuters: “White House: Russia needs to return any U.S. equipment” (Bush issues lost and found notice on the U.S. arms given to Georgia’s military to wage its brutal war on South Ossetia. )
Salon: Rice: Military power is “not the way to deal in the 21st century” Whatever one’s views are on the justifiability of each isolated instance, it’s simply a fact that the U.S. invades, bombs, occupies, and interferes in the internal affairs of other countries far more than any other country on the planet. It’s not even a close competition.
AUGUST 19, 2008
Were this war truly about democracy and human rights — and not oil — the conflict would have been long ago resolved with simple diplomacy. – Zeus
A re-cap of the events leading to the war in Georgia:
THE PUPPET REGIME
In 2004, the Bush Administration installed puppet-President Saakashvili in Georgia, under the guise of removing a corrupt leader and bringing democracy to Georgia. Three years later, in November 2007, the Georgian citizens, who formerly supported Saakashvili, were now protesting in the streets, charging him with corruption and demanding his resignation. The Georgian military (now armed to the teeth with U.S. democracy) brutalized the protestors with high-tech, mob-control weaponry from the U.S. Saakashvili was re-elected in a corrupt, rigged election, much like the previous two U.S. presidential elections, only more violent.
U.S. AGGRESSION AGAINST RUSSIA
In mid-July 2008, the U.S. and Georgia staged joint NATO military exercises on the Russian border, which heightened existing tensions between Russia and the U.S.-Georgia. Two weeks later, Georgia attacked South Ossetia, one of two Russian-allied, independent states within Georgia’s borders. Russia counter-attacked, claiming defense of its ally. The U.S. media correctly reported that Georgia had invaded South Ossetia. War ensued, soon joined by a fullscale propaganda war, as the U.S. media stopped reporting that Georgia had started the war, and began blaming Russia. Russia termed Georgia’s assault a U.S. war-by-proxy.
A PLAN FOR, UH, PEACE
As tensions escalated, a peace plan was forged. The plan called for, among other things, a cease in hostilites and for both sides to return to their pre-war positions: Georgia in Georgia, and Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia. Georgian president, Saakashvili, initially refused to sign the plan, because it was “just a political document.” The U.S. and Georgia upped the war rhetoric, defying the terms of the peace plan AND the wishes of the South Ossetians and Abkhazia, by insisting that these two independent states would now fall under Georgia’s control. To make it look like Russia (not the U.S.) was defying the peace plan, the U.S. media began referring to South Ossetia and Abkhazia as “ethnic Georgia,” and accusing Russia of refusing to leave Georgia. Russia’s anger escalated. It stepped-up its assault in Georgia-proper, and began destroying U.S. military installations within Georgia, deeming them a threat to Russia. Bush responded by announcing the U.S. installation of missile bases in Poland. Russia accurately deemed this a threat against Russia, and threatened a nuclear response to these missiles being placed in Poland.
MORE PEACE
Concurrent to the bilateral threats of nuclear holocaust, a 2nd peace plan was drafted, which reinforced and clarified Russia’s right to defend South Ossetia and Abkhazia until such a time when international discussions could take place to establish the political future of these two states. Russia signed the plan. Saakashvili signed a peace plan, too, which Russia claims lacked the introductory clause contained in the peace plan Russia signed. While the U.S.-Georgia may have agreed, on paper, to the plan, they are hoping that no one will notice that they are, in practice, violating the treaty by insisting that South Ossetia and Abkhazia belong under Georgia’s control, even tho neither state wants to be under Georgia’s control. The U.S. is further insisting that Russia withdraw entirely from the two independent states, despite that the treaty allows Russia’s presence there. These covert lies are a flagrant display of agression against Russia. In this, the Bush Administration is forcing Russia’s hand. If one didn’t, uh, know better, it would appear that the U.S. wants to go to war with Russia.
MEANWHILE, THE PROPAGANDA WAR RAGES ON….
Russia claims to be destroying U.S. stocks and supplies at Georgia’s military installations, which it deems as threats to Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.The U.S. has promised to replace whatever military arms Georgia has lost in this war. U.S. is accusing Russia of slaughtering Georgians, which seems true, but to what extent is difficult to discern because both the South Ossetian and the Abkhazian armies are now ruthlessly attacking Georgia-proper. These armies likely have Russian backing, the same way Georgia has U.S. backing, ergo, the U.S. and Russia are staging covert wars against each other.
Russia also claims that Georgian and U.S. mercenary forces are dressed in Russian military garb, attacking their own citizens in Georgia and filming it, to use as propaganda to further villify Russia to the world community, gaining support for future aggression against Russia. What a mess.Let us be the among the first to state the obvious: When a peace plan is drawn up and signed, it is customary for all parties to then abide by the agreement.
This war is an evil game. We fault the Bush Administration for starting this war and for sidestepping the terms of the peace plan by intentionally perpetuating this war through lying and using aggressive war rhetoric to exacerbate tensions and undermine any possibility for a real peace. That innocent people are, indeed, being slaughtered in this game is criminal. Many in the U.S., including presidential candidate, McCain, want to see more slaughtering. They want the U.S. to bomb Russia, even if this means fullscale nuclear holocaust. Americans are so enamored of the Bush brand of democracy, that it’s worth the annilhation of all life on this planet to spread this democracy. Even as Americans are still stinging from the knowledge that the war in Iraq had nothing to do with spreading democracy and freedom, and had everthing to do with controlling Iraq’s oil. Oh, the short memories of these stupid, stupid Americans, who are once again eating Bush’s war propaganda like candy. So who’s the puppet now?
Unless U.S. citizens want to see the entire planet engulfed in nuclear holocaust, they would be well-advised to call their representative to voice opposition to Bush-Cheney’s support of Georgia and this war for oil. Were this war truly about democracy and human rights — and not oil — the conflict would have been long ago been resolved with simple diplomacy.
AUGUST 16-18
It seems the closest we can find to truth in the media on this war is through political cartoons. The above cartoon sums things up quite well. With propaganda occupying all sides of this war, it’s a rarity to find verifiable, trustworthy, factual news articles. Here are a few we found for August 16-18:
ANTIWAR.COM/REUTERS: “Georgia rebel region sacks government, declares emergency” The president of Georgia’s separatist region of South Ossetia fired his government on Monday and declared a month-long emergency to cope with the aftermath of an armed conflict with the central government.
THE NATION: “Ceasefire and Chaos in Georgia” After nearly two weeks of war, most of Georgia remains in chaos. A bridge thirty miles west of the capital city of Tbilisi was blown up on Saturday afternoon, severing the country’s east-west rail link.
PRAVDA: “Georgian President Saakashvili eats his tie on TV live “ The BBC has recently aired a TV report, in which Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili ate his tie. The report was about the situation in the area of the conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia. The footage showed Saakashvili making a call to a top Western official. It could be clearly seen that Mr. Saakashvili was having a nervous breakdown. Watch the video here
AUGUST 14-15, 2008
ANTI-WAR.COM: “Blowback From Bear-Baiting” Reveling in his status as an intimate of George Bush, Dick Cheney, and John McCain, and America’s lone democratic ally in the Caucasus, Saakashvili thought he could get away with a lightning coup and present the world with a fait accompli.
COMMON DREAMS.ORG: “Putin’s War Enablers: Bush and Cheney” — All sides have committed massacres and behaved abominably. There are no clean hands involved…. Still, not everyone in NATO agrees that Saakashvili is a hero. While traveling with the negotiating team of President Nicolas Sarkozy, one French official observed that “Saakashvili was crazy enough to go in the middle of the night and bomb a city” in South Ossetia. The consequence of Russia’s riposte, he said, is “a Georgia attacked, pulverized, through its own fault.”
Answer: While I can’t speak for Russian, I can state, unequivocally, that the U.S. has stacked lies upon lies into this conflict, the core lie being that Georgia is a sovereign, fledgling democracy. Georgia is a U.S.-installed puppet regime, a corrupt, pseudo-democracy run by thugs, guilty of myriad crimes against its people, not to mention its more recent crimes — war crimes — committed against the independent territory of South Ossetia. That the lies of the U.S. administration have been so thoroughly promulgated through the media into a deliberate propaganda campaign to canonize Georgia and demonize Russia is a reckless and dangerous thing to do. For these reasons, we cannot accept, on its face, any information originating from the U.S. administration. We suspect, however, that Russia is now doing some of the same. The fact is, none of us knows the truth — not even those in charge of the facts. As we’ve seen in other wars for oil over the past several U.S. administrations, truth is the first victim of war. By the time it returns home (if ever) its pertinence is merely academic. The damage has long-since been done.
AUGUST 13, 2008
ANTI-WAR.COM: “‘Poor Little Georgia’ – Not!” Bill Kristol and the Menshevik myth of democratic Georgia “
COMMONDREAMS.ORG: This War Has Been Approved by Your Government
Moscow has to take some of the blame. But it is the west’s policy of liberal interventionism that has fuelled war in Georgia
Answer: *ding* Because, gradually, over the past week, the U.S. media have stopped calling South Ossetia and Abkhazia by their proper names, and have started calling them “ethnic Georgia.” This way, the U.S. can neatly pretend that the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia are *not* Russian-allied, autonomous regions within Georgia, and pretend, instead, that they *are* Georgia, itself, (which they are not, and have not been since 1991). The beauty of this lie is three-fold: (1) The U.S. can now pretend that Georgia never invaded South Ossetia (after all, how does a country invade itself?) and therefore claim that Georgia didn’t start this war, and didn’t slaughter thousands of South Ossetians. (2) The U.S. can now invade South Ossetia under the guise of offering humanitarian aid to “ethnic Georgians” (despite that Russia is already tending humanitarian aid in South Ossetia), and can also accuse Russia’s presence in both autonomous regions (which is allowed under the terms of the peace deal) of being a breach in the peace deal, since — in the make-believe world of George Bush and the U.S. media — South Ossetia and Abkhazia no longer *quite* exist. (3) This way, if Russia protests the U.S. invasion of these two territories, the U.S. can now — in words, anyway — claim to be supporting the sovereign democracy of Georgia-proper (and, heavens no, not in Russian-allied territories), and can then accuse Russia of most anything, including hampering the U.S. relief efforts in Georgia, and thereby gain world support for…. for what? War?
And just what happens, from here, to the tens of thousands of South Ossetians, who fled to the safety of Russia in the wake of Georgia’s brutal assault, is any one’s guess.
AUGUST 1-12, 2008
American Chronicle – Bush Administration Behind Conflict Between Russia and Georgia
BACKGROUND STORIES (2004-2008) DOCUMENTING GEORGIA’S LEAD_UP TO THIS WAR:
Turkish Weekly – South Ossetia votes for independence, West and Russia split
***VIDEOS:
photo left: TENS OF THOUSANDS OF GEORGIANS PROTEST AGAINST BUSH-CHENEY’S PUPPET REGIME PRESIDENT, MIKHEIL SAAKASHVILI, ACCUSING HIM OF, AMONG OTHER THINGS, LEADING GEORGIA AWAY FROM DEMOCRACY
More words to chew on:
2.) Georgia is a corrupt, pseudo-democracy — a puppet-government, installed by Bush-Cheney. The rosy coup that hailed President Saakashvili into office turned out to be a farce. The people who cheered him IN now want him OUT. Increasingly reviled by Georgians (much like Bush in our country, and for many of the same reasons) Saakashvili is the target of widespread protest, which he violently suppresses. Georgia’s recent history is a carbon copy of our own (stolen elections, the firing of Supreme Court judges, a powerless Congress, and media censorship).3.) The U.S. has given billions to Georgia over the past 10 years (70% of Georgia’s budget is spent on defense) and has been training and arming their military — recently staging JOINT exercises called “Partnership for Peace” right at Russia’s border.4.) Georgia invaded South Ossetia. Not the other way around. South Ossetia did not need or ask to be “saved” by Georgia. Russia came to South Ossetia’s defense AFTER they were attacked by Georgia. Georgia slaughtered 1500 people in South Ossetia on the first day of this war.5.) About the ‘disproportionate’ force Russia is waging against Georgia …. The death toll, as of yesterday, was Georgia 40; South Ossetia 2000. At least the Russians have not targeted innocent men, women and children, as the U.S. and Georgia forces have in South Ossetia.
Truth about Georgia war in Ossetia that is overlooked by BBC and CNN
At 7 p.m. on August 8, the day when Olympics started, worldwide community heard from CNN and BBC news that Russian tanks invaded Georgia and that Russia started war with Georgia.
That the war had begun 16 hours earlier by Georgian president Sukashvili’s order these media preferred to pass over in silence.
But you have the right to know truth. That’s how this really happened:
According to old tradition of Olympic Games’ eve everyone was looking for peace and quiet. On August 7, Georgian and South Ossetian officials agreed to observe a ceasefire and hold debates in attempt to solve their long-term conflict peacefully.
August 8, 00:06
Just hours later, six minutes past midnight on August 8, inhabitants of Ossetian capital Tskhinvali, peacefully sleeping in their beds, heard dreadful whizz of incoming rockets. The hell followed soon… Without any declaration Georgian forces launched massive shelling of Tskhinvali with all available means, including heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems GRAD. In this massacre, in just several hours, the whole city was ruined: 2,000 human lives wasted and most buildings demolished. Georgian military expedition, called “Clean field”, yielded its first fruits…
August 8, 03:00
Georgian army occupied five Ossetian villages, burning them to ashes.
August 8, 03:30
Georgian tanks started attack on Tskhinvali. Ossetian militia stood up to the enemy but could not keep back 30-times outnumbering Georgian forces. Many basements where Ossetins tried to escape shelling were showered with grenades. At the very same time, Georgian “peacekeepers”, serving in South Ossetia, launched unexampled attack on their yesterday’s colleagues, Russian peacekeepers, managing to kill at least 10 of them.
August 8, 04:33
Russia called for UN Security Council meeting to put a stop to Georgian military aggression and seize fire. No decision was delivered at neither this nor several following meetings.
August 8, 09:00
Russian Prime Minister Putin informed President Bush that Georgia launched war against Ossetia. Mr. Bush answered that “nobody wanted this war”.
Ossetia was praying for help. It was already obvious that “clean field” meant nothing else but ethnical cleansing. In these circumstances, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced that Russia would defend Russian citizens who constitute 90% of South Ossetia population.
August 8, 16:00
Russian forces overstepped mountain pass and made their way toward perishing Ossetins. That was exactly the moment when CNN and BBC finally “noticed” the war and broadcasted their «Russians invaded Georgia» scenes. Sukashvili announced that Russia invaded Georgia and held back that he started this horrible bloodshed himself.
Before midnight, Russian and Ossetian forces kicked aggressors out of Ossetian capital. Survived citizens started to leave basements to escape the city. In the next couple days around 30,000 refugees fled to Russia.
Failed Georgian assault turned to informational blackout and devilish propaganda by politicized media feeding us their lies. It’s time when so much depends on your personal position! I believe that there will be journalists who can give objective picture of these events. I believe in people of peace who will regard an attempt of massive extermination of small nation as genocide (3% of South Ossetins and 0.3% of all Ossetins worldwide were killed in just one night on August 8; fascists have never achieved that efficiency in exterminating Jewish people even when Auschwitz and Treblinka were working at full capacity). I believe in a world community that will view Sukashvili’s inhuman orders as a war crime and an outrage on humanity. I believe in you, thinking person, able to confront with facts, person who will not follow barefaced propaganda of deeply corrupt media, person able to recognize truth!
Andrey
September 6, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Gallup data on Georgia and Russia (www.gallup.com):
1) Facts about “free speech” in Georgia and Lithuania. In your opinion, how many people in your country, if any, ARE AFRAIED to openly express their political views?
Ukraine: 30% in 2007, 35% in 2008
Russia: 30% in 2007, 40% in 2008
Lithuania (UN and NATO member): 30% in 2007, 55% in 2008
Georgia: 25% in 2007, 55% in 2008
2) Facts about Georgian/Sukashvili’s government “caring” about people. Have there been times in the past 12 months when you or your family have gone hungry?
1. Russia: 3%
2. Armenia: 4%
3. Belarus: 4%
…
10. Georgia: 18%
3) Facts about “democracy” in Georgia and Ukraine.
3.1) How satisfied are you with the way democracy works in your country?
Georgia 2007: Satisfied 14%, Dissatisfied 37%, Neither 47
Ukraine 2007: Satisfied 15%
3.2) In Ukraine, do you have confidence in the following?
National government: 10% Yes, 80% No
Judicial system and courts: 10% Yes, 75% No
Honesty of elections: 10% Yes, 70% No
4) Facts about ordinary Ukrainians “striving” for NATO and western “democracy” and “hating” for Russia.
4.1) Do you approve or disapprove the job performance of the leadership of the following countries?
Ukrainians about Ukrainian leadership: 7% approve, 73% disapprove
Ukrainians about US leadership: 16% approve, 51% disapprove
Ukrainians about Russian leadership: 53% approve, 24% disapprove
4.2) Is it more important for Ukraine to have close relations with Russia or with the United States?
46% of Ukrainians say it is more important to have close relations with Russia even if it might hurt relations with the USA
10% of Ukrainians say it is more important to have close relations with USA even if it might hurt relations with the Russia
Andrey
September 6, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Best on http://www.youtube.com about war in Ossetia and Georgian Führer:
“The truth about South Ossetia War”
“12 Year Old Girl Tells the Truth about Georgia”
“Gorbachev explaining that Georgia attacked Russia”
“Gergiev told the truth about Tskhinvali Ossetia Georgia War”
“Saakashvili Runs For Cover”
“Saakashvili eats own tie”
Andrey
September 6, 2008 at 4:28 pm