What was (and is) the role of the United States in Georgia’s military campaign in South Ossetia? The military relationship between Georgia and the United States is well known, and it’s difficult to believe the relatively weak Georgians would risk a military conflict with Russia without reason to expect support from the US. On top of this, information released on Wikileaks reveals that US military personnel took part in a “training exercise” in Georgia at a time when the Georgians were clearly preparing militarily.
Soldiers and Marines from the United States, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Ukraine conduct joint training exercise “Immediate Response 2008” at Vaziani Military Base in the Republic of Georgia and the surrounding area. The state of Georgia is represented by the 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry, headquartered in Winder, as well as members of the 122nd Rear Operations Center from Glenville.” This ‘training exercise’ took place at the Vaziani Military Base, and was to run for 3 weeks from July 15th, Until roughly August 8th, which is precisely when the fighting broke out.
Echoes of Cambodia and Vietnam, Uncle Sam?
Popularity: 15% [?]
Doris Lessing (winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2007) on the political situation in Zimbabwe:
The political degradation just goes on and on. I can’t imagine why somebody hasn’t assassinated Mugabe—such a wicked man, and he’s still alive. The trouble is, you see, he’s got a gang [of] people like himself who are just as bad as he is. When people say, “When we get rid of Mugabe…” you have to ask, “OK, what are you going to do about the cronies?” They are just as bad, and one of them will be in. It’s very easy to destroy something, but it’s not so easy to put back something.
Better the
devil you know?
Popularity: 17% [?]
So let’s recap the story so far:
- Saddam Hussein and Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction.
- MI6 knew that Saddam and Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction.
- MI6 told Tony Blair that Saddam Hussein and Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction.
- Tony Blair told the White House that Saddam Hussein and Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction.
- The White House responded by instructing the CIA to forge a letter from the head of Iraqi Intelligence to Saddam, demonstrating a link between the Baathist regime and al-Qaeda.
These facts were reported by Times Online, and come from the book The Way of the World by Ron Suskind.
Meanwhile, nearly 4,500 military members of the Coalition of the Easily Led have been killed in this senseless practical joke, followed by more than a million Iraqis estimated dead as a direct result of the US-led invasion.
Am I alone in thinking this calls for criminal charges and punishment?
Popularity: 19% [?]
