By the Way

The Russian-Georgian-Ossetian-Abkhazian conflict is a tribal war, just like any such conflict on more southerly continents and should be called such. Oh the technology is more advanced and the political intrigue, strategy and subterfuge are far more elaborate, but one look at the history and you can figure it out that this conflict is fundamentally like any tribal power-grab; for example, say, that which occurred in Kenya. And, already, there are more dead bodies than was so for the Kenya conflict--the result of more efficient methods of killing. So the next time you here someone refer to "those savages in Africa murdering each other for a tribal power grabs," be sure to point to the Caucasus.

We all have the potential to be savages.

Just sayin'.

Comments

[Anon]

What's going on here? If we allow this to happen, will Russia swallow up Eastern Europe again bite by bite?

I cannot see the EU stopping them. Isolationism is fine as long as there is no downside to the position but I fail to see how having the Cold War reestablished is to our advantage.

[Tully]

We all have the potential to be savages.

That realization at an early age prevented me from ever becoming an entrenched ideologue of any kind, other than one believing in freedom and equality under the law.

[Khaki Elephant]

And Russia's onslaught has been more savage than most, cunningly plotted to coincide with the Olympics while delivering a message to all former Soviet States the danger of applying to NATO. A tribal call to conquer and dominate.

[Casey]

What's going on here? If we allow this to happen, will Russia swallow up Eastern Europe again bite by bite?

Oh, my stars and garters. Can't anyone flipping read even a simple summary of geography, demographics, and history anymore!?

No, this isn't the Second Coming of Hitler.

No, this isn't the resurrection of the Soviet Union.

Yes, the Russians are (as Juliette says) playing tribal politics along their border, including garnering greater economic influence over Europe (read: gas/oil pipelines).

Tully: true dat. :)

Khaki Elephant: I would suggest either walking off the meds, or sitting down and allowing them to kick in. Whichever. :) Acting like this is the second iteration of Poland '39 just stirs crap up, and obscures judgment. South Ossetians have been granted Russian passports since the fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of an independent Georgia.

The Ossetians were long ago split between two separate Soviet entities, and we face that legacy of "divide and conquer" today. The South Ossetians quite evidently don't want to be part of Georgia, and the UN/NATO might have a stronger leg to stand on if they hadn't endorsed the secession of Kosovo. Whoops. The irony here is that the Russians opposed the secession of Kosovo, but apparently decided to go along with United Nations legal precedent.

Karma really can be a female canine, no?

Look, I'm not saying the Russians are the good guys, but there's a lot of back-story here, and it can get pretty tricky figuring out who's wrong, and who's right.

...Or pretty tribal, as Juliette pointed out above. Heh.

[David Ross]

I never did call the Tutsi/Hutu conflict "tribal". That was a straight-up race war.

Tribal is Somalia. A Somali clan won't massacre a whole clan of other Somalis; they might be needed later as allies against a third clan. Ditto, New Guinea; tribal war is conducted with spears, but when the war is against a group with a whole 'nother language then they buy grenades and gas. (Jared Diamond wrote a piece about this.)

Of course religion gets into it too, and it's pretty good at creating ethnics, like Mormons, which didn't exist beforehand. But I, for instance, can convert to Islam (although I won't). I can't become a Hutu.

[bleedingbrain]

You are so right..we are all potential savages.

To be civilized is to be a society where everyone (from the king down to the peasant) is convinced that their own best interest is served by suppressing their own savage or barbaric inclinations.