Shameless Seamus & Sad Vlad.

Having you illusions shattered is never easy, I remember how I cried for days when I learned that Santa Claus wasn't real, it ruined my 21st birthday. Now another dream is coming to an end because it appears that far from being a well informed expert on current affairs, Seamus Milne is in fact an utter ignoramus who bullshits his way through subjects he is barely capable of comprehending and butchers the facts mercilessly in order to fit the party line. In his latest column Shameless informs his loyal readers:

There has been much talk among western politicians in recent days about Russia isolating itself from the international community. But unless that simply means North America and Europe, nothing could be further from the truth. While the US and British media have swung into full cold-war mode over the Georgia crisis, the rest of the world has seen it in a very different light. As Kishore Mahbubani, Singapore's former UN ambassador, observed in the Financial Times a few days ago, "most of the world is bemused by western moralising on Georgia". While the western view is that the world "should support the underdog, Georgia, against Russia ... most support Russia against the bullying west. The gap between the western narrative and the rest of the world could not be clearer."

It's only the West that objects to Russia's behaviour. Alas the rest of the world doesn't appear to want to play along with Milne's wish fulfillment fantasy of the third world masses uniting behind a challenger to AmeriKKKan capitalist hegemony.

Russia faced increased diplomatic isolation over its military action against Georgia on Thursday, with its Asian allies failing to offer support and France saying EU leaders were considering sanctions.....

Even China, which often sides with Russia in diplomatic disputes, issued a veiled criticism of Moscow's actions, saying it was "concerned about the latest changes in South Ossetia and Abkhazia" and calling for dialogue to resolve the issue.

In fact Putin is now claiming that the Americans made him attack Georgia. This would be like George Bush claiming that the Bilderberg Group were behind the invasion of Iraq. Searching for conspiracy theories is quite common, but when the man who makes the decisions claims that that the Illuminati are behind it all this is either full blown insanity or desperate backtracking from someone who has overplayed his hand.

This supports the theory I put forward last week that Putin is in fact a moron.

Putin, Genius Or Moron?

In some quarters Putin's invasion of Georgia and the lack of serious resistance he has face proves that he is some kind of genius, but I think there is a stronger case for arguing that he is the same bumbling moron who screwed up the Kursk rescue, the Beslan siege and the attempted murder of Victor Yuschenko.

Yes Russia now looks to have brought two Georgian provinces into Russian control but at the cost of driving Ukraine into the Western camp and earning his country near universal contempt in the civilised world. The word for someone who would trade the Ukraine for two tiny provinces plus the uncritical love of the far left is not 'genius'.

Quote Of The Day, Or Possibly Year.

Over at another blog I've been disagreeing with the author and many of his commentators over the role that Israel has played in the Russian Georgian conflict. In short I think the idea that the West is opposed to Russia because of Israel is nonsense. Thankfully though one alert commentator was able to out me for what I am:

The Russians have had no behavior over the last couple of years. From the way you spell behaviour, you are probably an Israeli yourself doing hasbara.

Yep that's right I'm a secret Israeli* because I er use British spellings!!!

*It isn't everyday that I feel the need to declare myself to be Judenfrei but I suppose I should add that I'm not Israeli, not Jewish, never been to Israel and don't even have a single Jewish friend that I know of, although I haven't run everyone's spelling yet to check.

'Peace' Activists

Of course the Stop the War Coalition have been quick to comment on the Russian invasion of Georgia:

The oubreak of war in Georgia is already a disaster for the people of the region. It risks being turned into a still broader problem by Dick Cheney's threats.

The conflict is in large measure the product of George Bush's policy of US global hegemony, in the Caucauses as in the Middle East. Attempts to extend NATO eastwards, specifically incorporating Georgia, directly challenge Russian interests.

Plans to build more pipelines to siphon gas and oil from the Caucasus to ensure western control of these resources have added to the tension.

The Stop the War Coalition supports the right of self determination, but we oppose any calls for intervention by the US or NATO.

Demands from US, British and other western leaders to Russia to respect countries' territorial integrity are simply not credible after the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, the bombing of Somalia and the constant threats against Iran.

The comment by US envoy to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad that "the days of overthrowing leaders by military means in Europe are over" is an expression of this hypocrisy.

I'm sure the demand for Russia to actually stop the war was edited for reasons of space. Much more important to stop a war that isn't taking place and isn't being widely proposed. Although for what it's worth (nothing) I personally think we should intervene in Georgia and establish a no fly zone, Russia will back down if confronted.

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Some Thoughts On Russia.

This is more of a string of inter connected thoughts than a full comment.

Russia's attack on Georgia looks more and more as though it were planned in advance. The behaviour of the Russian state over recent years demonstrates that not only is it extremely unpleasant but unlike say China, it is a danger to the rest of the world. To list a few examples of Russia's recent behaviour:

• Nuclear terrorism in London, by which I mean the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.
• Refusing to extradite the main suspect in the Litvinenko case, despite having signed an international extradition treaty.
  
• Occupation of Moldovan and Georgian territory.
• The attempted murder of Victor Yuchenko, now president of Ukraine.
• Threatening Estonia over the placement of a statue honouring the Red Army.
• Threatening to annex part of the Ukraine.
• Murdering exiled opponents in Qatar.

In other words Russia has clearly been a rogue state even before they tried the Sudetenland gambit of claiming to protect their citizens in another country.

Georgia should be brought into NATO immediately and a base established there.


Various other Russia related points to comment on include the Norfolk Blogger asking why the west has allowed itself to become dependent on Russian gas, this is true to a point but we should also realise that Russia is dependent upon our buying it. Marko Attila Hoare rejects the bogus comparison between the Georgian breakaway regions and Kosovo. EU referendum has a series of good posts on the issue including the reaction of the EU:

Russia is bombing cities inside Georgia, including the outskirts of Tbilisi, and has sunk at least one Georgian boat in Georgian waters. Gori is being evacuated and the Baku-Tbilisi oil pipeline has been bombed though not, apparently, put out of action.

The EU, the body that demands that it becomes our sole representative on the international scene is preparing to call an emergency meeting of foreign ministers and this will take place, possibly, on Wednesday. Or possibly not.

This is called a Rapid Reaction in EU circles.

World War 3 Has Just Started, Possibly.

Uh oh, it looks like war between Russia and Georgia, a US ally.

If we do enter a nuclear war and erase civilisation then my next post on the soaring cost of the Olympic Games is a bit redundant, so in a sense I'm the real victim here.

Tony Sharp's blog has been covering some of the latest developments. Strategy Page is also a good website to follow these sort of things on.