Georgia was the initial aggressor, and by all rights Saakashvili belongs in the Hague. It will be some time before we know how many hundreds were killed by Georgian shelling in Tskhinvali and surrounding villages.
Putin, though, is merely seizing on the opportunity to destroy the Georgian military to the extent he can get away with. Russian bombing has been indiscriminate, too, with scores of civilian casualties. Besides, no "peacekeeper" would allow Ossetian irregulars to have a vengeful rampage in the Georgian countryside.
UK Guardian coverage has been the best: multifaceted with brave correspondents on the ground, often bargaining into the barrel of a gun for access. Sure beats US State Department press organ CNN, which two nights ago was overlaying scenes of devastation from Tskhinvali with audio reports of Russian bombing near Tblisi. |
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