Translation: Saakashvili says Putin the Wolf wants to Eat Him

This about Politics, tagged , , , was written by for on August 30, 2013 .No Comments

In a Bloomberg interview, Georgian President Saakashvili says he is like a lamb before the “wolf” Putin and his stooge in Georgia, Ivanishvili – head of the “Georgian Dream” party that recently won the elections. Saakashvili is afraid of Putin For the time being, the Georgian president is confident that he is to be killed […]

Translation: Bolotnaya Prisoner tells of Georgian Money and Revolution

This , about Politics, tagged , , , , was written by for on April 30, 2013 .No Comments

Olesya Gerasimenko interviews Konstantin Lebedev, recently convicted of planning riots at the Bolotnaya rally of 6 May, 2012 and given a 2.5 year prison sentence. After his plea bargain and shocking confessions, his former comrades now call him a traitor. Konstantin Lebedev – “I Don’t Consider Myself a Traitor” Were you pleased with the sentence? […]

Georgians Are The Biggest Stalinists

This about History, tagged , , , , was written by for on March 8, 2013 .7 Comments

It’s no real secret that many Russians have a positive impression of Stalin; it was 49% in February 2013, insignificantly down from 53% in 2003. (This is not a view that I share). There are probably a few big reasons for this: (1) The mistaken notion that without him Russia would have remained in the […]

What Happened In Georgia Was An Oligarchic Coup

This about Politics, tagged , , , , was written by for , on October 14, 2012 .29 Comments

My latest for US-Russia.org Expert Discussion Panel on whether to view the recent Georgian elections, in which Saakashvili’s United National Movement lost a lot of power, as a Kremlin coup or a triumph of democracy. My view that it isn’t really either: Two dominant themes prevailed in media coverage of the 2012 Georgian elections (1) The […]

Potemkin Georgia: Exposing The Lies Of The Saakashvili PR Machine

This about Politics, tagged , , , was written by for on April 9, 2012 .59 Comments

Despite the unremitting hostility of its Russian neighbor, which crescendoed in a military occupation of a chunk of its territories, plucky Georgia’s commitment to reform and democratic values will ensure its rapid development into a “booming Western-style economy.” Under its charismatic Western-trained President, Saakashvili, it has rooted out corruption, ushered in untold prosperity and freedoms, and left dictatorial Russia in […]

In Which La Russophobe Interviews The Russophile Sociopath Blogging At Sublime Oblivion

This about Politics, tagged , , , , , , , , was written by for on May 27, 2011 .22 Comments

Two weeks ago, I received a Facebook message from Kim Zigfeld, she of the infamous La Russophobe, asking me if I was interested in an interview with her. It didn’t take long for me to come to the wrong decision! And so commenced our interview. It was a long grind. After ceaseless goings back and forth, […]

REPRINT: Wikileaks And The South Ossetia War

This about Geopolitics, tagged , , , , , was written by for on December 24, 2010 .12 Comments

Though I originally meant to write my own analysis of what the Wikileaks cables have contributed to our understanding of the 2008 South Ossetia War, I realized that I would essentially be trying to duplicate the excellent efforts of Patrick Armstrong. (See also the New York Times article Embracing Georgia, U.S. Misread Signs of Rifts). […]

Perils of Water

This about Geopolitics, tagged , , , was written by for on August 22, 2009 .6 Comments

Three interesting stories, all tied with Russia and water. 1. The explosion at the Sayano-Shushenskaya dam in Siberia. Though the official Russian version is that it was a blown transformer, the Chechen separatists / terrorists are claiming that it’s their work: A decision was taken at the start of the year at a meeting of […]

New Russia-Georgia War?

This about Geopolitics, tagged , , , , was written by for on August 4, 2009 .44 Comments

Whispers of war are heard in the Caucasus, as the anniversary of last year’s South Ossetian War approaches. Will the guns of August be fired in anger to mark the occasion? Here are some things we need to keep in mind when analyzing this: It was Georgia that attacked South Ossetia last year, mere hours […]

The Corpse Stumbles On, Unaware it’s Already Dead

This about Politics, tagged , , was written by for on November 28, 2008 .No Comments

The ludicrous claims spouted by Saakashvili continue falling apart as soon as his febrile mind makes them, forcing even the most ardent Cold Warriors to temper their uncompromising narrative of “Russian aggression against the ‘fledgling’ Georgian democracy”. And despite the impressive achievements of Georgian infowar, after many tribulations the truth came out. OCSE monitors confirmed […]

Ukraine, Georgia and Latvia, Beacons of Freedom

This about Politics, tagged , , , , , , was written by for on October 9, 2008 .8 Comments

I am being a sarcastic, of course. Ukraine has banned broadcasting of Russian TV channels. Georgia cut access to the .ru domain and banned Russian TV channels (and Euronews!), no doubt to silence any questioning voices over their criminal aggression as opposed to the likes of Fox, CNN or the BBC, which swallowed the psychopathic […]

Schröder, Captain (of What Should be) Obvious

This about Geopolitics, tagged , , , , was written by for on August 20, 2008 .4 Comments

In an interview in Spiegel, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder states the obvious, something that Washington and its British and east European lackies seem to have difficulty grasping. ‘Serious Mistakes by the West’ Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder discusses the war in the Caucasus, the possibility of Germany serving as an intermediary in the conflict […]