South Ossetia: Defense against ethnic cleansing, or invasion? (Turns out, Georgia fired missiles first. it was self defense)

POSTED BY: SignyM
UPDATED: Sunday, August 23, 2026 15:28
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SIGNYM

Friday, August 8, 2008 4:46 PM

Or both?

Russia has invaded South Ossetia, which is formally a part of Georgia. However, South Ossetia is ethnically, linguistically, and economically closer to Russia, and most of its residents hold Russian passports. South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia in the early 1990s.
According to some sources Georgia was engaged in ethnic cleansing to prepare the land for immigration by Georgians and put down the separatist movement once and for all.

Quote:
South Ossetia is inhabited mostly by ethnic Ossetians who speak a language remotely related to Farsi. Georgians account for less than one-third of the population....By tradition, the Ossetians have had good relations with Russians and were regarded as loyal citizens, first of the Russian empire and later of the Soviet Union. They sided with the Kremlin when Bolshevik forces occupied Georgia in the early 1920s and, as part of the carve-up which followed, the South Ossetian Autonomous Region was created in Georgia and North Ossetia was formed in Russia.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/3797729.stm

Now, quite frankly my view is that people should be allowed to belong to whatever groups they want to belong to. Trying to impose an identity on a people... whether it was the North trying to impose an identity on the South, England imposing an identity on Ireland, Tito imposing an identity on Yugoslavia, or Saddam imposing a Sunni identity on Iraq... just ain't gonna work. It might be best if groups of people could deal with each other as equals not as "minorities" and "majorities". I believe that over time arm's-length relationships will lead to mutual respect and acceptance, provided that each group has true authority and responsibility for itself. But hey, I could be wrong.

---------------------------------
Any idea, no matter how much you may agree with it, can be radicalized and employed as an excuse for violence. There is no such thing as a righteous or untouchable philosophy, and when you start thinking that there is, you have become an extremist.- Finn Mac Cumhal

HERO

Friday, August 8, 2008 5:26 PM

The real question is how this will affect Atlanta Falcons home games and the price of peaches.

Cause its Georgia...get it...Georgia.

The Russian General is named Williamovich Tceumseva Shermonov...

Georgia, Georgia, no peace I find
Just an old sweet song keeps Georgia on my mind.

H

RIVERLOVE

Friday, August 8, 2008 5:41 PM

Russia gets the Gold Medal

KWICKO

Friday, August 8, 2008 5:47 PM

Maybe the South Ossetians hate Russia for their freedoms. Or maybe the Russians are spreading freedom and democracy through the region.

Who knows? Maybe they'll be greeted as liberators!

What's the worst that could happen?

Mike

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence[sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero, Real World Event Discussions

I can't help the sinking feeling that my country is now being run by people who read "1984" not as a cautionary tale, but rather as an instruction manual. - Michael Mock

The Myrmidons were an ancient nation of very brave and skilled warriors as described in Homer's Iliad, and were commanded by Achilles. - Wikipedia

KWICKO

Friday, August 8, 2008 5:52 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Hero:
The real question is how this will affect Atlanta Falcons home games and the price of peaches.

Cause its Georgia...get it...Georgia.

The Russian General is named Williamovich Tceumseva Shermonov...

Georgia, Georgia, no peace I find
Just an old sweet song keeps Georgia on my mind.

H

Now THAT is funny stuff. Shermonov even sounds like a Russian tank-general's name!

I just have one question about all this:

What the hell is this going to do to HOTlanta?! What am I going to do for FreakNik this year?!

(Okay, that's two questions...)

Mike

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence[sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero, Real World Event Discussions

I can't help the sinking feeling that my country is now being run by people who read "1984" not as a cautionary tale, but rather as an instruction manual. - Michael Mock

The Myrmidons were an ancient nation of very brave and skilled warriors as described in Homer's Iliad, and were commanded by Achilles. - Wikipedia

GEEZER

Friday, August 8, 2008 9:14 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:
...as part of the carve-up which followed, the South Ossetian Autonomous Region was created in Georgia and North Ossetia was formed in Russia.

So if Russia 'liberates' South Ossetia, are they going to let it combine with their North Ossetia into the independent nation of Greater Ossetia?

Even more importantly, if Russia decides to keep going and invade Georgia proper, will the US come to Georgia's defense? Seems like a shame that we spent all that time and effort building a military specifically to take on the Russians, and never got a chance to use it. Maybe redemption is at hand.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

KWICKO

Friday, August 8, 2008 10:52 PM

Quote:
Seems like a shame that we spent all that time and effort building a military specifically to take on the Russians, and never got a chance to use it. Maybe redemption is at hand.

We DID use it; in fact, we still are. Just not against the Russians. We depleted our massive military might against people with rocks and roadside bombs. 5.5 years later, they still haven't recognized our policy of "peace through superior firepower".

Mike

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence[sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero, Real World Event Discussions

I can't help the sinking feeling that my country is now being run by people who read "1984" not as a cautionary tale, but rather as an instruction manual. - Michael Mock

The Myrmidons were an ancient nation of very brave and skilled warriors as described in Homer's Iliad, and were commanded by Achilles. - Wikipedia

GEEZER

Saturday, August 9, 2008 12:04 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
We DID use it; in fact, we still are. Just not against the Russians. We depleted our massive military might against people with rocks and roadside bombs. 5.5 years later, they still haven't recognized our policy of "peace through superior firepower".

Just for once, in a completely unrelated to Iraq thread, can't you give it a rest?

Probably not.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

KWICKO

Saturday, August 9, 2008 2:08 PM

Just pointing out that much of that enormous military that we built to "take on the Russians" has indeed been used, but as usual, it didn't happen in the way we expected and built for.

I'll be very interested to see what Russia does from this point, and how the U.S. reacts.

Mike

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence[sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero, Real World Event Discussions

I can't help the sinking feeling that my country is now being run by people who read "1984" not as a cautionary tale, but rather as an instruction manual. - Michael Mock

The Myrmidons were an ancient nation of very brave and skilled warriors as described in Homer's Iliad, and were commanded by Achilles. - Wikipedia

SIGNYM

Saturday, August 9, 2008 4:22 PM

From what I gather, South Oessetians have chosne to be part of Russia since days of yore (earlier than 1870).

I'm surprised that nobody said If you think people should be able to be part of any group they want, why are you so bothered by "illegal" immigration?" And indeed, I haven't been able to reconcile that gap.

---------------------------------
Any idea, no matter how much you may agree with it, can be radicalized and employed as an excuse for violence. There is no such thing as a righteous or untouchable philosophy, and when you start thinking that there is, you have become an extremist.- Finn Mac Cumhal

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