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Russia unveils real reason behind war in South Ossetia

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  • Russia unveils real reason behind war in South Ossetia

    This just In.........

    From The Times
    August 15, 2008

    Kremlin dusts off Cold War lexicon to make US villain in Georgia
    Charles Bremner in Moscow

    Russians were told over breakfast yesterday what really happened in Georgia: the conflict in South Ossetia was part of a plot by Dick Cheney, the Vice-President, to stop Barack Obama being elected president of the United States.

    The line came on the main news of Vesti FM, a state radio station that — like the Government and much of Russia's media — has reverted to the old habits of Soviet years, in which a sinister American hand was held to lie behind every conflict, especially those embarrassing to Moscow. Modern Russia may be plugged into the internet and the global marketplace but in the battle for world opinion the Kremlin is replaying the old black-and-white movie.

    The Obama angle is getting wide play. It was aired on Wednesday by Sergei Markov, a senior political scientist who is close to Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister and power behind President Medvedev.

    Michael Binyon says Russia has been biding its time - but its victory in Georgia has been brutal and brilliant
    “George Bush's Administration is promoting interests of candidate John McCain,” said Dr Markov. “Defeated by Barak Obama on all fronts, McCain has one last card to play yet - the creation of a virtual Cold War with Russia . . . Bush himself did not want a war in South Ossetia but his Republican Party did not leave him any choice.” The Americans were now engineering an armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Dr Markov added.

    The Establishment and its media supporters are dusting off favourites from the Cold War shelf. Sergei Lavrov, the Foreign Minister, accused Washington of playing dangerous games. The West was guilty of “adventurism”, supporting aggression against peace-loving Russian forces who are engaged on a humanitarian mission to protect human life. Yesterday's headline in Commersant, a generally admired newspaper, announced with old-style sarcasm the imminent American “Military Humanitarian Landing” in Georgia.

    A classic of Soviet-speak also came from Vasili Lickhachev, a former Russian Ambassador to the EU. “The West has spent a lot of time, energy and money to teach Georgia the tricks of the trade . . . to make the country look like a democracy,” he said.

    “We and many other nations see through this deceit. We understand that the seditious tactics of the so-called colour revolutions are a real threat to international law and the source of global legal nihilism.”

    These grooves from the Cold War grave are shrugged off by many Russians but they strike a chord in a nation ready once again to see itself as the victim of outside conspiracy. Blogs everywhere attract conspiracy lovers but Russian blogs have been exceptionally rich this week in theories of Western skulduggery over Georgia.

    The old thinking finds more fertile ground now because, in the view of disillusioned Russians, President Bush relaunched the ideological war through a compliant American media, especially at the time of the invasion of Iraq.
    “In the old days under Soviet rule we didn't believe a word of our own propaganda but we thought that information was free in the West and we longed for it,” said Katya, a middle-aged Muscovite. “But we have learnt since that the West has its own propaganda and in some ways it is more powerful because people believe it.”

    Moscow is using novel methods to spread a very unsubtle, Cold War version of the Caucasian conflict to the world. Chief among them is Russia Today, a state 24-hour news channel that is fronted much of the time by cheery British and other English-speaking television professionals.

    The smiles and studio banter could come from BBC World or CNN but the story is unrelentingly the Kremlin version. Banners flash along at the bottom of the screen saying such things as “genocide” and “aggression” or “city turns into human hell, many people still trapped under rubble”. Recapping the conflict yesterday RT's presenter said that Georgia's “brutal assault” had killed 1,600 civilians in its breakaway province in a campaign that destroyed 70 per cent of the buildings in Tskhinvali, its capital. Russian forces had moved in only to bring peace as Georgian forces killed women and children who were trying to flee, it said. Throughout its rolling cover of alleged Georgian atrocities, there was no mention of the heavy Russian military offensive.

    The coverage goes down well in developing countries that want an alternative to CNN and BBC World Service, a Russian official said. “We have learnt from Western TV how to simplify the narrative.”

    The Soviet crackdown

    — In January 1968 Alexander Dubcek became First Secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party, instituting the “Prague Spring” liberalising reforms

    — In August the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact invaded, below, claiming that its assistance had been requested by Communist Party leaders. Dubcek was arrested

    — Lyndon Johnson, the US President, declared the invasion in violation of the United Nations Charter, but America was in the middle of a presidential election campaign and a war in Vietnam. The West took no action

    — In 1988 mass demonstrations marked the anniversary

    — The Communists were finally ousted in 1989 and Václav Havel was elected President in what became known as the Velvet Revolution. Soviet forces withdrew in 1991
    Buy the ticket, take the ride.

  • #2
    Sheesh, I hope people really dont believe this garbage. Especially voters because I doubt that Cheyney had anything to do with it. On top of that Russia and Cheyney together? I think past history would reveal more the truth then this nonsense speculation.

    IMO, Part of the truth is the Caspian pipeline that would circumnavigate Russia and would feed oil to Europe and the U.S without paying Russia a dime. Now that Geogia has this problem I would bet you will see them and the Ukraine's application to NATO more readily excepted to cement the route for the new pipeline. We shall see.;)
    Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.

    Comment


    • #3
      Ooooh those sneaky Republicans! It would be amusing if it were not sad.

      Comment


      • #4
        From The Times? not the Onion?

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Dreadnought View Post
          Sheesh, I hope people really don’t believe this garbage.
          Only Russians - It's classic Soviet era misdirection. ;)
          Buy the ticket, take the ride.

          Comment


          • #6
            I don't put it past Dick Cheney!

            He is Rasputin !!

            He is capable of pulling off anything!

            I don't think it is the Republicans!

            McCain is too much of a gentleman!

            McCain has seen war. He was a PW and he knows what a horror it is!

            Dick Cheney hasn't.
            Last edited by Ray; 15 Aug 08,, 16:30.


            "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

            I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

            HAKUNA MATATA

            Comment


            • #7
              It reminds me of the double speak of Gulag Archipelago. The Return of the Soviet Conspiracy Theory...

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Dreadnought View Post
                I would bet you will see them and the Ukraine's application to NATO more readily excepted to cement the route for the new pipeline. We shall see.;)
                Wouldnt it be otherwise. Letting them into NATO after this means providing security guarantee to Georgia and Ukraine. This means a direct war with Russia. Dont think the west wants a war with Russia.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Yusuf View Post
                  Wouldnt it be otherwise. Letting them into NATO after this means providing security guarantee to Georgia and Ukraine. This means a direct war with Russia. Dont think the west wants a war with Russia.
                  Over the proposed Caspian Sea pipeline? They will admit them and then it becomes Russia's problem.;)
                  Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    One cannot say who is right or who is wrong.

                    War is immoral unless attacked!

                    Then, it is self defence and justified.

                    But what gets my goat is the media and govt spin.

                    When Cuba, Venezuela or Bolivia goes leftist, everything is done to topple them, but the people resist and make a monkey of such schemes and they are ''moral'' even though CIA is involved, and yet when others do the same tricks, they are ''immoral''.

                    The problem in the Balkans is not only of their people, it is being egged on by both sides!

                    That is what upsets!

                    Why pretend to be moral and Christians?

                    We are downright scoundrels, each one of us!
                    Last edited by Ray; 15 Aug 08,, 17:51.


                    "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

                    I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

                    HAKUNA MATATA

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Noticed how the conspiracy theories flying on liberal sites like Daily Kos and the official Russian cover story are one and the same...
                      "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Liberal, conservative or neo Con - it is all spin

                        All gas, no go!


                        "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

                        I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

                        HAKUNA MATATA

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          So far I haven't seen anything about on russian TV or news web-sites. I may have missed it, but i really don't think Russian govt is going to press on this version. Quite possibly, this depends on what America is going to do about this situation.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Ray View Post
                            One cannot say who is right or who is wrong
                            The winner's always right. Not counting the casualties.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by gunnut View Post
                              Noticed how the conspiracy theories flying on liberal sites like Daily Kos and the official Russian cover story are one and the same...
                              That's easy man. You're the bad guys we're the good guys:P:)):))

                              Comment

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