Death of a canard?

There can never be a war between liberal democracies - they say - however, both Russia and Georgia are democracies (whatever flaws you can point out in Russia's democracy, you can find equal measures of flaws even in maturer democracies). Of course, the theory may try to save itself by saying that neither are mature democracies, but they do have well over ten years each (and changes of government) to suggest that their democracy is entrenched.

The ugly truth is that the situational logic of nation states plays its usual part, and their specific political form can't halt that - more democracy won't mean peace, only common ownership will.

O-settee-ah? O-seesh-ee-ah?

The BBC says the former, the Georgians appear to pronounce the latter. Given the endless fighting during the Kosovan war over the difference between Kosovo and Kosova (I mean, within the British left) I am left wondering if there is a bias implicit in the pronunciation game?

Anyway, another ruddy war - the rules are different here, BBC reporters openly state that Russian forces have hit civilians - were it a Nato force you can be sure they would give balance to the official denial and merely state there have been "reports". The same goes for most of the reporting. But that's just an interesting aside.

Here's the skinny - a heavily armed superpower played for this and got it. It's old, old stuff. They recognise the breakaway republic. They guarantee them, they give them citizenship and claim relationship. Said breakaway republic thus drains rival power, and happens to contain the exit to a tunnel through a nigh impenetrable mountain range so that you can drive a column of tanks into the region easily.

Sit back, prod occasionally, and wait for warrrrr to break out.

Then there's t'other side, I mean Nato. Slowly encircling Russia, recruiting in it's traditional sphere of influence, buying influence over the Caspian oil routes.

I note as an aside that I can only boggle at the psychopathic mindset that it must take to be a General in any army. Any. They sat down and modelled this carnage out. They bought the guns, the tanks, the planes - casually plotting mass murder.

I note that Loonie is pro-Russia, seeing Georgia as a US stoodge, rather than as an independent actor with murderous aims and goals of its own. Mind, no one else seems to be commenting. HP are silent. Osler is silent. Clearly the enemy is at home.

So, for the record - as a socialist I can only aim for one thing from this conflict, immediate peace, irrespective of boundary outcomes. My allegiance is with the workers of Ossetia, Georgia and Russia - the wage-slave hired killers sent to die. The famillies slaughtered. The civillians cut down by the pass and fell of warring great powers. All other analysis aside, nation states are units of property - their wars are wars of property, mafia gangfights for loot. Workers do not benefit from these wars, we only die in them. The only way to stop these wars is to rid ourselves of the property system, and all the conspiracies to murder that are standing armies that stem from it.

The world for the workers, and nothing less.

Update: Young master Stross on the e-war side of things. Macleod has some comments as well. Chris Floyd (Whom Macleod links to) talks sense...

Luke the Nuke rides again.

Cold warriors never die, they just hibernate, and wait for the moment to begin their deluded blood thirsty cries of antagonism, opposition and rearmament.

Luke the Nuke is back

Well, it seems that the Russian stakes are rising:

According to the BBC :

Two new RAF Typhoon jets shadowed a Russian bomber heading for Britain, the Ministry of Defence has said.
The jets were scrambled on Friday 17 August to identify the Russian aircraft, which turned back before it reached UK skies.

and:

The old firm say

Last Thursday a Russian mini-submarine descended to the seabed two-and-a-half miles under the North Pole. But this was not just a scientific expedition and achievement. The main aim was to plant a Russia flag there. In other words, to claim the sovereignty of the Russian State over the area.

Other recent stories include the Czechs discovering that their pipeline to Norway is actually pumping them Russian oil (so they are totally dependent on Russia), and of course the recent spate of murder campaigns by Russia in cutting off oil during the middle fo winters.

Cold warriors are wetting themselves about a return to the good old days, and the continuing justification it gives to massive military budgets. Of course, the fact taht NATO has continued to harrass and encircle Russia - the clear intent is to have Western military domination over former Rsussian spheres of influence.

What with the recent Radio 4 series about China's military build up: Shadow of the Dragon it does seem that the so-called peace dividend is coming to an end - that is, if we listen to, and let the cold war dingbat hawks get their way. Now is the time to start talking serious disarmament in order to put a stop to a nasty cycle - after all, if the stock market correction continues, we'll all be hearing how the Great Depression led to WWII...