Aug
31
Is Putin a Closet Republican?
August 31, 2008 | 311 Comments
If Putin was an American politician, what would he be? He is conservative, deeply religious, a patriot, and strong partisan for Russian traditions.
Given this, I doubt we would have seen Putin strutting about on the DNC’s American Idol-esque stage, swearing his undying, almost cultic allegiance to Barak Obama. It’s more likely we would find him [...]
Aug
30
Ossetian Numbers Game
August 30, 2008 | 15 Comments
How many Ossetians died as the result of Georgia’s attack? The numbers have been a constant point of speculation over the last two weeks. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Russia claimed 1,600-2,000 deaths. By 21 August the Financial Times was reporting that the Russians could only confirm 133 civilian deaths, though Boris Salmakov [...]
Aug
30
Vesti Translates Fox News
August 30, 2008 | 26 Comments
Here is how the Fox News interview with that American-Ossetian girl and her aunt is being reported in the Russian news. I think even non-Russian speakers will get a sense of the hatchet job done on this just from the translator’s tone and coughing. If Vesti really wants to get schooled in propaganda production, they [...]
Aug
29
Satellite Images Show Ossetian Wrath
August 29, 2008 | 56 Comments
Today, Human Rights Watch released more evidence of what it calls “the widespread torching of ethnic Georgian villages inside South Ossetia.” According to satellite images provided by UNOSAT, the torching of five Georgian villages, Tamarasheni, Kekhvi, Kvemo Achabeti (Nizhnie Achaveti in Russian), Zemo Achabeti (Verkhnie Achaveti in Russian), and Kurta, occurred on August 10, 12, [...]
Aug
29
Cold War II as Comfortable Shoes
August 29, 2008 | 7 Comments
A colleague sent me this cartoon from the 1 September issue of the New Yorker. It’s quite an appropriate addendum to “Loving Cold War II.”
