We should all regret the killing taking place between Russia and Georgia over the independence or not of South Ossetia (as also of Abkhazia). According to the lines drawn on maps both territories lies within Georgia, but their ethnically non-Georgian populations have never accepted this, and one can have feelings either way.
On the one hand, Georgia did not hesitate to join in the highly illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq, and cannot therefore claim to be an innocent "Good Guy" on the world political stage. On the other, it is clear that Russia is doing everything that it can to destabilise many of its weaker neighbours, and thus it also cannot make itself out to be innocent.
From the point of view of the ordinary inhabitants of these territories, it is totally understandable that they should seek help where they can get it, by playing on the rivalries of both Russia and Georgia. However, this is bound to be a dangerous game and they would probably be far better off if they could get both armies to withdraw and leave them alone. It makes me think immediately of Jammu and Kashmir which could become a prosperous country if both the Indians and the Pakistanis would leave them alone. The trouble is that politicians thrive on conflict, by making out that their subjects are under threat from some outside interference, and both the Russians and the Georgians tell their populations that the other country is threatening them because it is intervening in this way.
Let us be clear. Neither the Russian nor the Georgian government is anything like being a "Good Guy" in these sad events, and we should not fall for the propaganda put out by either side. Let us hope that both will finally realise that the peoples of these lands should be free to choose, with genuine freedom, as to whether or not they wish to be free or to join one or other of the competing claimants to rule them. There may be real advantages for them to forgo their complete freedom for economic or other reasons, but the first step should be to give them free choice.
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