A Russian friend of mine, Pavel Yakovlev, is quoted over at Perfect Substitute about the Georgian situation. He has a decidedly Russian pov.

Let me offer up a different pov. I have been to Georgia twice in the past, have many close Georgian friends, and in fact am supposed to be flying there on Thursday of next week(!) so I have some, albeit imperfect, understanding of the situation. I cannot say this is a Georgian pov, but it's probably close.

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The area of South Ossetia is historically part of Georgia--the land between the Greater Caucasus and Lesser Caucasus Mountains. The Ossetians began to migrate from the north across the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Allied with the Russians, the Ossetians supported the gradual annexation of all of Georgia by Tsarist Russia over the course of the late 17th and 18th Centuries and then, after a brief period of independence, again by the Communists in 1921.

Today, most people (about two-thirds) in South Ossetia are Ossetians; they are concentrated in just a few towns, including the regional capital. But importantly most of the villages in South Ossetia are populated by Georgians. That is, the population of South Ossetia is mostly Ossetian, but the geography of South Ossetia is mostly in the hands of Georgians.

The animosity and fear of Georgians regarding Russia is understandable. The country has been literally occupied and terrorized by Russia for over 200 years. The Ossetians have historically been, and continue to be, Russian-supported and Russia supporters. After independence in 1991, the Ossetians and Abkhazians (similar story to the Ossetians) objected violently (with Russian support) to Georgian rule, and eventually Russian "peacekeepers" stepped in to stop the civil wars. For the last several years an uneasy and imperfect truce has been maintained by the Russians in these autonomous regions. No country recognizes South Ossetia (or Abkhazia) however.

The Russians have repeatedly rejected offers to use international peacekeepers and it is laughable, as the current episode illustrates, to claim that they are impartial in this dispute. A long term diplomatic solution is not likely whilst Russia maintains its occupation of these regions.

Georgia's current president is a nationalist who badly underestimated Russia's resolve to support the Ossetians, and very badly overestimated America's support. (Duh! Can you say South Vietnam?) Claims of genocide commited by Georgia against the Ossetians have yet to be verified, and considering the source (Russia) are likely exaggerated if not plainly false. Clearly such claims need to be investigated by international authorities.

But Russia is clearly playing a bigger game. This whole thing has more to do with NATO (keeping Georgia and Ukraine out), oil (the pipeline to the black sea runs through Georgia), and fanning Russian nationalism than anything else.