Russia, oh Russia

Once again, there is war afoot. Once again it is in a region all to familiar with this brutal, life altering event. It looks almost inevitable that Russia and Georgia will be at War, if they are not already. What will this mean for the West? for the US? Will NATO be drawn in? Surly this is the front line with Russia, and both the US and NATO have strategic reasons for 'coming to the rescue'. All this can yield is further escalation between the Russians and the West, and history is all to familiar with that dynamic...

As I have just watched Zeitgeist, it seems so convenient (from the point of view of the Military Industrial Complex) that war and conflict is getting a healthy little booster, as if Iraq and the "War" on terror wasn't enough. Really, lets try something new for a change. I think 6,000 years of conflict is enough.

But what really has me mad, is the fact that S. Ossetia is right next door to Chechnya. Remember? That province in Russia that also wants to be free, but has been ruthlessly crushed over and over again. Sorry, why do they not have the rights that S. Ossetia has? And why does Kosovo not have this right either? Well, the reasons are economic and political in my mind. Obviously Russia wants to weaken Georgia, a country trying desperately to be part of NATO and the West, and Russia would like to strengthen Serbia, which (until recently) was fairly anti-West.

Lets not just pick on Russia here though, for the West is guilty of the same hypocrisy, only in reverse. The only reason they want to support Georgia, Chechnya and Kosovo is because it strengthens their position in this region. Why will the West raise military power against Russia here (in the name of freedom, self determination, etc.) but not on behalf of the most peaceful people in the World: the Tibetans? Basically, because we need China and can't really confront it, nor is there a huge strategic gain in liberating Tibet right now. But, to use Cold War terms, Containment is totally relevant in relations with Russia.

Once again, it all comes down to a war, a slaughter, over an invisible line in the dirt. We are witnessing exactly what powerful things national borders are. Yet, they only exist in our minds, and still they create such amazing devastation.