Comments on: Ossetians Given a Voice, Humanitarian aid to Georgia http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/08/17/ossetians-given-a-voice-humanitarian-aid-to-georgia/ Russia Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:20:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Robert Harneis http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/08/17/ossetians-given-a-voice-humanitarian-aid-to-georgia/comment-page-1/#comment-73508 Robert Harneis Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:43:56 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=678#comment-73508 "“Are the former Mexican territories in the South West of the USA a frozen conflict or merely an embryo break away dispute à la Kosovo?” Neither. South West of the USA is not a totalitarian state." Are you suggesting that only totalitarian states have problems with breakaway regions? What was the American Civil War? A mild disagreement between fellow democrats? ““Are the former Mexican territories in the South West of the USA a frozen conflict or merely an embryo break away dispute à la Kosovo?”

Neither. South West of the USA is not a totalitarian state.”

Are you suggesting that only totalitarian states have problems with breakaway regions? What was the American Civil War? A mild disagreement between fellow democrats?

]]> By: Cyrill http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/08/17/ossetians-given-a-voice-humanitarian-aid-to-georgia/comment-page-1/#comment-73349 Cyrill Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:19:10 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=678#comment-73349 "Are the former Mexican territories in the South West of the USA a frozen conflict or merely an embryo break away dispute à la Kosovo?" Neither. South West of the USA is not a totalitarian state. “Are the former Mexican territories in the South West of the USA a frozen conflict or merely an embryo break away dispute à la Kosovo?”

Neither. South West of the USA is not a totalitarian state.

]]> By: Candide http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/08/17/ossetians-given-a-voice-humanitarian-aid-to-georgia/comment-page-1/#comment-72632 Candide Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:45:46 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=678#comment-72632 I don't think what happens nowadays in the old Mexican posessions in the US is "a frozen conflict". There is a great deal of political activities going on and everything is out in the open and widely discussed over and over: old grievances and injustices together with the latest ones. Even the most radical groups can publish and distibute their stuff. Which is exactly the opposite of the USSR, where all information about ethnic problems was suppressed and nothing was discussed in the official media. CM insistence that there were no ethnic problems in the USSR is just laughable because it's only support is the lack of information in the USSR official media. In reality, there were many ethnic disturbances throughout the whole history of the USSR, that were suppressed by force and never revealed in the official media. You'd only hear rumors. In fact, the open discussion of all the ethnic havoc going on was one of the first noticeable results of the Glasnost. I think modern Russia has certainly made a big step forward by bringing the ethnic issues into the open, so they are no longer 'suppressed' and therefore the conflicts are no longer 'frozen'. And yes, 60 years is nothing to resolve an ethnic issue, but I was not the one to claim that ethic policies of the USSR were successful. I simply said they were brutal dead-end policies that offered no hope for resolution and proved to be a complete failure. Considering there is no USSR left in existance and the new rulers of Russia and other old Soviet republics are trying completely new methods, copied from the West, we can summarize the Soviet ethnic policies as wasteful and useless, I think. I don’t think what happens nowadays in the old Mexican posessions in the US is “a frozen conflict”. There is a great deal of political activities going on and everything is out in the open and widely discussed over and over: old grievances and injustices together with the latest ones. Even the most radical groups can publish and distibute their stuff. Which is exactly the opposite of the USSR, where all information about ethnic problems was suppressed and nothing was discussed in the official media.

CM insistence that there were no ethnic problems in the USSR is just laughable because it’s only support is the lack of information in the USSR official media. In reality, there were many ethnic disturbances throughout the whole history of the USSR, that were suppressed by force and never revealed in the official media. You’d only hear rumors. In fact, the open discussion of all the ethnic havoc going on was one of the first noticeable results of the Glasnost.

I think modern Russia has certainly made a big step forward by bringing the ethnic issues into the open, so they are no longer ’suppressed’ and therefore the conflicts are no longer ‘frozen’.

And yes, 60 years is nothing to resolve an ethnic issue, but I was not the one to claim that ethic policies of the USSR were successful. I simply said they were brutal dead-end policies that offered no hope for resolution and proved to be a complete failure. Considering there is no USSR left in existance and the new rulers of Russia and other old Soviet republics are trying completely new methods, copied from the West, we can summarize the Soviet ethnic policies as wasteful and useless, I think.

]]> By: Robert Harneis http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/08/17/ossetians-given-a-voice-humanitarian-aid-to-georgia/comment-page-1/#comment-72563 Robert Harneis Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:36:37 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=678#comment-72563 Exactly right and it applies to all totalitarian countries from Iraq to Yugoslavia and USSR was no exception. Are the former Mexican territories in the South West of the USA a frozen conflict or merely an embryo break away dispute à la Kosovo? Exactly right and it applies to all totalitarian countries from Iraq to Yugoslavia and USSR was no exception.

Are the former Mexican territories in the South West of the USA a frozen conflict or merely an embryo break away dispute à la Kosovo?

]]> By: Chrisius Maximus http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/08/17/ossetians-given-a-voice-humanitarian-aid-to-georgia/comment-page-1/#comment-72506 Chrisius Maximus Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:58:24 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=678#comment-72506 I knew it was only a matter of time until the magic space pony theory raised its Mongoloid head. I knew it was only a matter of time until the magic space pony theory raised its Mongoloid head.

]]> By: Chrisius Maximus http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/08/17/ossetians-given-a-voice-humanitarian-aid-to-georgia/comment-page-1/#comment-72412 Chrisius Maximus Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:54:44 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=678#comment-72412 "Makes sense to me." Not many ethnic conflicts get resolved in a mere 60 years. That's kind of a short time scale for this sort of thing. “Makes sense to me.”

Not many ethnic conflicts get resolved in a mere 60 years. That’s kind of a short time scale for this sort of thing.

]]> By: Cyrill http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/08/17/ossetians-given-a-voice-humanitarian-aid-to-georgia/comment-page-1/#comment-72408 Cyrill Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:06:26 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=678#comment-72408 “The s–ttiness of Soviet ethnic policies was demonstrated by sudden flaring of ethnic conflicts at the collapse of the USSR. That demonstrated the ethnic conflicts were not resolved but only suppressed for 60 years.” Exactly right and it applies to all totalitarian countries from Iraq to Yugoslavia and USSR was no exception. “The s–ttiness of Soviet ethnic policies was demonstrated by sudden flaring of ethnic conflicts at the collapse of the USSR. That demonstrated the ethnic conflicts were not resolved but only suppressed for 60 years.”

Exactly right and it applies to all totalitarian countries from Iraq to Yugoslavia and USSR was no exception.

]]> By: jason http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/08/17/ossetians-given-a-voice-humanitarian-aid-to-georgia/comment-page-1/#comment-72361 jason Fri, 22 Aug 2008 03:38:24 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=678#comment-72361 "I didn’t know about him before all this started, but after a few days I get the impression that Kokoity is either a sleazeball, a loose canon, or both. In other words, he’s probably harming the South Ossetian cause." Neeka seemed to have the situation nailed way back on August 10: "...but I think all three sides are terribly guilty and wrong. All three. And I don't see a point in trying to figure out who the good guys are and who the bad guys are here. I don't see a point in taking sides. Medvedev/Putin, Saakashvili and Kokoity are assholes because of their failure to negotiate efficiently and to prevent casualties and destruction." http://vkhokhl.blogspot.com/2008/08/ive-done-two-translations-in-these.html “I didn’t know about him before all this started, but after a few days I get the impression that Kokoity is either a sleazeball, a loose canon, or both. In other words, he’s probably harming the South Ossetian cause.”

Neeka seemed to have the situation nailed way back on August 10:

“…but I think all three sides are terribly guilty and wrong. All three. And I don’t see a point in trying to figure out who the good guys are and who the bad guys are here. I don’t see a point in taking sides. Medvedev/Putin, Saakashvili and Kokoity are assholes because of their failure to negotiate efficiently and to prevent casualties and destruction.”
http://vkhokhl.blogspot.com/2008/08/ive-done-two-translations-in-these.html

]]> By: Tim Newman http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/08/17/ossetians-given-a-voice-humanitarian-aid-to-georgia/comment-page-1/#comment-72351 Tim Newman Fri, 22 Aug 2008 03:31:57 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=678#comment-72351 <em>The s–ttiness of Soviet ethnic policies was demonstrated by sudden flaring of ethnic conflicts at the collapse of the USSR. That demonstrated the ethnic conflicts were not resolved but only suppressed for 60 years.</em> Makes sense to me. The s–ttiness of Soviet ethnic policies was demonstrated by sudden flaring of ethnic conflicts at the collapse of the USSR. That demonstrated the ethnic conflicts were not resolved but only suppressed for 60 years.

Makes sense to me.

]]> By: Chrisius Maximus http://seansrussiablog.org/2008/08/17/ossetians-given-a-voice-humanitarian-aid-to-georgia/comment-page-1/#comment-72245 Chrisius Maximus Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:09:36 +0000 http://seansrussiablog.org/?p=678#comment-72245 "The s–ttiness of Soviet ethnic policies was demonstrated by sudden flaring of ethnic conflicts at the collapse of the USSR. That demonstrated the ethnic conflicts were not resolved but only suppressed for 60 years." What funny logic. “The s–ttiness of Soviet ethnic policies was demonstrated by sudden flaring of ethnic conflicts at the collapse of the USSR. That demonstrated the ethnic conflicts were not resolved but only suppressed for 60 years.”

What funny logic.

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