Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

DUMB WAITERS

Yet another instance of predictable death and destruction is being enacted in Georgia. But isn’t this the same unbridled dominance-behaviour that occurs when an aggressive infant male takes against another, while the child-minder is otherwise engaged? Surely it is time to recognise the common factor in war - us? Not good guys, bad guys, right and wrong, just power, opportunity and male destructiveness. There are just as many deranged leaders in 'civilisation' as in 'rogue states' and, given the opportunity, they do just as much damage to life, living and planet. Warfare, in the modern world, is clearly more natural than mother’s milk; even Tony the Great espoused it. But, in a saner moment, Tony said we should address CAUSES, so what lies below the culture of war?

We are an ape cursed with the facility to confuse animal imperatives with cultural dalliances through the agency of language. Faced with such a burden, we would do well to reach puberty a decade-or-two later than we currently do, to allow wisdom a chance to supersede cleverness, before hair-growth announces regression to the animal. In fact, onset of puberty is ever-earlier, hence psychological maturity is in decline and, as things stand, can only decline further. Under these circumstances, rampant brutishness is no surprise.

Being in possession of language, we have talked ourselves into a global situation that can only be described, paradoxically and colloquially, as 'dumb'. The facility to escape this bind exists: the scholarship and media to disseminate the fruits of such scholarship are in place. We COULD talk ourselves out of trouble. Tragically, the required combination of wisdom and will, among the rich-and-powerful, is absent, so mankind waits. And while waiting, the dumb slaughter continues.

Newsnight. Your cue is in the penultimate sentence.

INFOMATION, SCMINFORMATION: NOT IN NATO OR THE EU? NOT TO WORRY NEITHER IS ISRAEL

Georgia clearly isn't averse to being more than a little in order to secure support, not to mention it being on very good terms with its (currently slightly too distant perhaps?) partner in spin, regional strategic US proxy neighbour down South - now getting a little twitchy given its arms exports to Georgia are likely to seriously annoy Iran's ally Russia.

If its true that Georgia launched an artillery bombardment on civilian residential areas they shouldn't be responsible for South Ossetia.

As for the genocide charges its too early to tell I suppose. The goose steppers that post on here would probably be able to advise them ...

Zimbabwe will be a good story and I hope its good news for Zim.

Some issues deserve adequate analysis
to account for possible factors/motives at work. :

What is the implication of the statement by Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin at UNSC on 10 August?

Would Tblisi's advance in fact enable Russia to "restore the balance in the region, which was rocked by a militarization up to combat level in the Georgian forces' bid to serve as NATO's frontline" as declared by Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Russian deputy chief of the General Staff?

Did a brinkmanship on the borders by the Georgian leader in fact enticed Georgia into the Russian bear trap? Will it now win Georgia a NATO entry sooner or later?

Will Russia now show how well prepared it was by using this crisis to rectify EU and NATO advances in the region, pressing on for outcome on its own terms as referred to by Allgemeine Zeitung?

One noteworthy source to look at is the discussion at the UN Security Council meeting on Sunday so charged that it led even the participating envoy from Costa Rica to draw attention to the way the terms like 'genocide' 'war crimes' and 'ethnic cleansing' were used.

US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad asked Churkin three times if what Russia was pursuing through the present escalation was a regime change in Tblisi?

Are the Russian peacekeeping troops in South Ossetia expected to withdraw meekly like the UN troops from Srebernica
asked Churkin at the UNSC debate.

I don't think enough has been reported on about who was responsible for the "first" shots in the current escalation. As far as I have been able to discover, it was Georgia who shelled the capital of South Ossetia, and the UN mandated Russian peacekeepers were simply responding to hostile attack.

If you go and poke a big bear, then don't be shocked when it gets mad at you and wants to rip your face off.

Also, the US/NATO carried out war games in Georgia in July, many of the instructors are reported to have remained in Georgia. Lastly, Israel who has over the last few years invested a substantial amount of money (over $1.5 billion) has also been sending over military experts to help the Georgians (see link to )

All this shows a lot of under the wire tinkering by the US/NATO and Israel in an effort to "protect" their Oil interests. How many more civilians have died and will die for this?

Why isnt there an analyisis of the russian side of things? the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ has takena pro Georgian view of things

dynamicWelshWarrior (#6) I suspect
might have something to do with it.