[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?

[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.