Self-Determination...When Convenient

Old Corps Blog ^ | August 14, 2008 | Keane

[keane]

The government of the Russian Federation, for all its supposed shortcomings, has hardly been inept in its war with Georgia, which encompasses everything from old-fashioned tanks and troops to digital assaults which, as James Jarrafano points out, may have begun well in advance of the Russian invasion. Hardly enthusiastic about Georgia's bid for NATO membership (which has been delayed since April because of the instability of South Ossetia and Abkhazia), Russia has jumped at the chance to reduce the odds of Georgia becoming a NATO member – and to interfere with its aspirations for acceptance into the EU, as globalsecurity.org explains. But Condoleezza Rice may have put the interests of Russia best back in 2000: “Moscow is determined to assert itself in the world and often does so in ways that are at once haphazard and threatening to American interests.”

[keane]

Most hilarious about Russia's defense of their actions? They're shouting about South Ossetia's right to self-determination...and yet according to this poll: http://bd.english.fom.ru/report/cat/az/0-9/autonomy/eof992903 "79% (of Russians) consider military conflict by national minorities for independence to be unacceptable." So, what is the real reason? The Old Corps Blog seems to have answered it fairly well.

[slowry]

I say, who needs NATO? Or the UN. Get US out of both. Is that heretical on FR?

How can Americans lecture anyone about self-determination, after we refused to let our own states secede?

[keane]

We’re not lecturing on self-determination, Russia is. The Russian Federation claims the use of force is justified because Georgia is interfering with South Ossetia’s right to self-determination.

[FreePoster]

The whole ‘self-determination’ argument is nonsense. If the South Ossetian’s had reasons equivalent to our Declaration of Independence and goals of freedom, I might be interested. Considering that many of them are from Russia, have driven out the native-born Georgians, and they have no higher ideal than to make it part of Russia, I wouldn't call that self-determination; I would call it conquest.