Sunday, August 10, 2008

I've done two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven translations in these three four days ... whatever, I've lost count... - here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here (plus this tiny one a few tiny items, not all of them translations - here, here, here and here) - and am planning to do at least one or two more. About Georgia/South Ossetia/Russia, of course. Was foolish of me to go on vacation in August, should've waited for a more reliable month.

GV's special coverage page, with more posts and background, is here.

It's breaking our hearts to think about this war. Not sure about Mishah, but I think all three sides are terribly guilty and wrong. All three. And I don't see a point in trying to figure out who the good guys are and who the bad guys are here. I don't see a point in taking sides. Medvedev/Putin, Saakashvili and Kokoity are assholes because of their failure to negotiate efficiently and to prevent casualties and destruction. And I hope Ukraine's leadership will be more responsible than these three (or is it four?), no matter what it may cost them.

9 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for saying what I don't hear from Russians here in Moscow or hear from the English-language news I read, namely, that all three "sides" are guilty and wrong, and that innocent people are suffering pointlessly so that politicians at a safe distance can play war games with live ammunition.

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  2. Veronica, sorry to troll your message board.

    I'm Pirates&Diplomats over on Eternal Remont.

    Leopolis had mentioned you and all the great work you do with Global Voices Online. It's funny how we all read the same blogs.

    You might be interested in this article I just published at World Politics Review, as well as the stir it's cause on the Pravda.ru message boards.

    (Again, my appologies for the troll.)

    http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/article.aspx?id=2555

    http://engforum.pravda.ru/showthread.php?p=2522766

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  3. veronica, keep up the great work with your photography. i feel like i know those places you write about after scrolling through.

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  4. I totally support your comments on the S Ossetia tragedy. My fear is that macho posturing by Yushchenko, Putin and Bush over ship movements in the Black Sea could now make the situation even more appalling.

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  5. Hi! My name is Tiziana and I am an italian journalist/blogger, currently living in Istanbul. I've just come across your wonderful blog and your amazing pics. Tebrikler! I wish we could meet here in Turkey... If only I had met you earlier...

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  6. All three may be wrong, however Russia always takes the most brutal approach.

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  7. I don't agree with the "pox on all your houses" approach. It fails to recognize what happened, and it solves nothing.

    One does not launch such a massive invasion at a moment's notice as an impromptu reaction.

    There was no "genocide," as Russia claims, and there was no "provocation." Georgian villages were being fired upon in S. Ossetia. Georgia stepped in with force, which provided the excuse for Russia to mount the attack it had already planned.

    Russia was clearly spoiling for a fight. The whole thing was pre-planned and coordinated, with prior military exercises being conducted in preparation for the actual attack on Georgia.

    The military action was coordinated with cyberattacks against Georgia, a naval blockade, media blitzes all over Russia, and even a sell-off of US bonds by Russian state-owned companies - at a loss to the Russian companies.

    Seems to me the ones who ought to behave responsibly are the Russian government, which should not behave like a bully in the 21st century.

    Poor, poor Russia - such a "peace-loving" nation, always being "provoked" by something or other. Countless times, the rest of the world has invited Russia to join in responsible organizations. But, no - Russian stupidity among its leaders says the Russia has to be "pyrvaya," not friends and good neighbors. Just slaves of Russia.

    Russia's government is a hideous, obscene kleptocracy run for the benefit of a privileged few with enormous wealth, with disastrous consequences for the rest of the Russian people. And this sorry episode in Georgia is being portrayed in Russia as some kind of "heroic" effort for a resurgent Russia.

    Disgusting.

    http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/16/europe/17military.php

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  8. Now let's add a little bit more.

    Georgian and Russian diplomats were supposed to meet. Suddenly, the Russian diplomat had a flat tire, and couldn't make it to the meeting on time. Then, all the other rooshan cars had flat tires, too. And noone from the South Ossetian side, controlled by roosha, bothered to show up.

    73,000 S. Ossetians. And the rooshan "peacekeepers" could not keep the peace - because they did not want to. This is payback for Kosovo, an attempt to control a pipeline, and an attempt to destroy a country that is trying to build a democracy - Georgia.

    Plus, rooshan media has been blitzing its airwaves with practically nothing but the "genocide" committed in S. Ossetia by Georgia. But we still don't know exactly how many Ossetians, how many "rooshan citizens," and how many Georgians were in S. Ossetia - out of the 73,000.

    Poor, poor rooshans - no spare tires to be found anywhere.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/2570754/Georgia-conflict-How-a-flat-tyre-took-the-Caucasus-to-war.html

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  9. Do you seriously doubt what rasha's intentions are at this point? And that rasha is insane enough to continue invading foreign countries?

    rasha is handing out passports in Crimea, to make rashan "passport citizens" out of people living in Ukraine.

    rasha signed a cease-fire agreement, which required withdrawal of its troops from Georgia. The rashan troops are still there, and have caused a tremendous amount of damage to the country, including eliminating all Georgian media - and piping in one Russian station.

    Go over to the Ukrainian blog - rasha's Vesti has already put out a video branding President Yushchenko of Ukraine as a NAZI.

    What kind of dope are they smoking in the Kremlin?

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