In this post I wanted to do a follow up so as to show some of the aftermath that has followed the Russian invasion of Georgia. As a side note I would like to commend the BBC's coverage of these issues. I suppose Britain cares a lot more about Russia then we do. Great work!
-Russian president Medvedev has unveiled 5 new main principals that will guide Russian foreign policy from now on. I would like to point out #'s 4 and 5, which addresses points I attempted to make in the last post.
BBC
-The BBC conducted an investigation into claims of war crimes committed by both sides. Based on their conclusions they suspect the Georgian army did in fact attack civilians in the South Ossetia.
BBC
-Russian troops have now left their "buffer positions" inside Georgia. There are now no Russian troops in Georgia, but over 7000 troops will stay in the two separatist’s areas.
BBC
-During the conflict the Russian Black Fleet, based in the Ukraine, was used in the fighting. The president of the Ukraine tried to limit the movements of the fleet and then called for the Ukraine to kick the Russian navy out. This is strikingly similar to the Georgian conflict.
BBC
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Update: "Bear Resurgent"
Japanese air force chief loses job and pisses off China
The chief of the Japanese air force had a little bit of a gaffe recently. He wrote in an essay, titled "True Views of Modern History", that Japan had not been an aggressor during WWII.
"Even now, there are many people who think that our country's 'aggression' caused unbearable suffering to the countries of Asia during the Greater East Asia War. But we need to realize that many Asian countries take a positive view of the Greater East Asia War. It is certainly a false accusation to say that our country was an aggressor nation." - Gen Toshio Tamogami
He was fired for his comments. This is the same kind of right wing thinking that gives Japan a bad name, but is also very disrespectful. All countries have nut job nationalists; Japan just seems to be above average. Don't worry Japan, America is still #1.
Japan struggles with WWII past
BBC
China pissed
Trouble again in DRC
Sadly, for the second time this year the Democratic Republic of Congo has been the site of intense battle. The conflict is a remnant of the horrible civil wars that wracked the country in the 90's. The fighting is between a rebel general and the new UN backed government. Most of the fighting is occurring in the east of the nation near the capital of North Kivu province, Goma. The infant government is seemingly helpless in the situation and the conflict will remain a problem for the foreseeable future. At the heart of this conflict are ethnic tensions that have roots in the Rwandan genocide and the mineral riches of the country (blood copper and tin?). The real tragedy is the roughly 1 million people that are caught in the middle of this horrible mess. The DRC is also home to the biggest UN peacekeeper operation in the world and they are struggling at best to protect the people. A silver lining could be a potential contingent of troops from the EU to help the peacekeepers ensure some safety for innocent civilians. To shed some light on this country and its conflict, here are some stories and resources.
Profile: General Laurent Nkunda
Ceasefire called, talks ensue.....
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