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Brazil: On the verge of a civil war over indigenous land · Global Voices
Paula Góes

While the world celebrates the rights of indigenous people this Indigenous People's Day, dispute over land in Brazil is bringing the country to the verge of a civil war. An historic land dispute between rice farmers and indigenous tribes in Roraima, a northeastern state that borders Guyana and Venezuela, has turned sour since April and violence has broken out, raising fears that the frequent confrontations will eventually escalate into a national domestic conflict.
A video released by the Indigenous Council of Roraima (CIR) and NGO Survival International shows the moment at which gunmen, according to the tribe people hired by a local farmer and politician, Paulo César Quartiero, attacked a Makuxi indigenous village.
Warning: This video contains images of violence and injuries which may be found disturbing.
An estimated 18,000 indigenous peoples from the Ingarico, Macuxi, Patamona, Taurpeng and Wapixana tribes live in the area known as Serra Raposa do Sol. The conflicts there intensified in 2005, when the government officially ratified the Raposa do Sol's current borders in the 4.2-million-acre reservation. The decree also ensured that the Armed Forces and the Federal Police should defend the territory. Since then, most ranchers and rice farmers have left the area, upon receipt of compensation from the government.
However, the demarcation process is being questioned by the Roraima State government which demands that it be reduced in size, claiming that 46 percent of the Roraima's territory is already in Indian hands, and a further extension to the indigenous reservation is an obstacle to the economic development of the state. Settlers have lived and cultivated the land for decades, since the first generation invaded the then non regularized Indigenous land. Despite the ratification, a small group of them refuse to leave and argue that they occupy just 1% or less of the land. Attempts to remove them were halted in April 2008, when violence broke out.
An August of grief
The government favors the indigenous peoples, but since the conflict began its indigenous policy has been widely criticized by many sectors of the population, including some military leaders. The decision is now in the hands of Brazil's Supreme Court, which is expected to decide this month whether the government should carry on the eviction of rice farmers or undo the demarcation of Raposa Serra do Sol's Indigenous land. There is some concern that if the Supreme Court decides on behalf of the rice farmers, it will set a precedent and other already demarcated and ratified indigenous lands may be equally questioned.
Brazilian bloggers have divided opinions on the matter. Former president of Brazil's National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), Mércio Pereira Gomes [pt] has been promoting an online poll to ask which outcome people expect Brazil's Supreme Court will come up with. As of now, 253 people have voted, with 34% of them thinking that the court will keep President Lula's 2005 ratification of the land, while 39% believe a new demarcation will be ruled:
Está todo mundo ansiosíssimo sobre o que sairá do STF. Basta ver ao lado o placar da enquete sobre esse assunto. Quase meio-a-meio entre os que acreditam que o STF vai manter e os que acreditam que ela vai mandar refazer a homologação de Raposa Serra do Sol. Hoje mesmo está havendo no Ministério da Justiça um debate com alguns antropólogos, o jurista Dalmo Dallari e o próprio governador do estado de Roraima sobre Raposa Serra do Sol. Debate para tentar influenciar a decisão do ministro Ayres Britto, que, segundo ele mesmo, a decisão e o voto já foram feitas.
Everyone is super anxious about what will come out of the STF [Brazil's Supreme Court]. You only need to check the scores of the survey on this topic to the side [of this blog]. It is nearly half and half between those who believe that the STF will maintain [the borders] and those who believe that it will rule for a re-demarcation of Raposa Serra do Sol's land. Today there is a debate at the Ministry of Justice with some anthropologists, the lawyer Dalmo Dallari, and even the Governor of the state of Roraima on Raposa Serra do Sol to try to influence the Minister Ayres Britto, whose decision and vote, according to him, have already been made.
Aldenor Jr [pt] seems also to know the decision beforehand and fears there will be even more violence:
Enquanto os ministros não firmam uma posição definitiva, os ocupantes ilegais das terras públicas, incentivados pela meia dúzia de grandes rizicultores, preparam a guerra. Há denúncias de que, nas últimas semanas, teriam entrado na região armas, munições e um contingente ainda maior de pistoleiros, que ocupam posições ofensivas nas proximidades das aldeias Macuxi. A qualquer momento, sem qualquer aviso, a violência poderá explodir sem controle.
O intenso lobby a favor do esfacelamento do território indígena, realizado por políticos identificados com gananciosos e obscuros interesses, não parou de trabalhar durante o recesso, lançando sóbrias expectativas sobre o desenlace da polêmica em plenário. Haverá ainda tempo para inverter essa tendência?
While the ministers don't come up with a final position, illegal occupants of public land, encouraged by a handful of large rice farmers, are getting ready for a war. There are claims that in recent weeks arms, ammunition and an even larger contingent of gunmen have entered the region and have taken offensive positions near the Macuxi village. At any time, with no notice, the violence could explode beyond control.
The intense lobbying in favour of smashing indigenous’ territory held by politicians identified with greedy and obscure interests has not stopped during the [court] recess, creating sober expectations about the outcome of the controversy in the House. Will there be time to reverse this trend?
On the other hand, José Correa Leite [pt] believes that only one result is possible. If the decision is different it would reveal what type of interests Brazil is heading towards:
A população de Roraima não chega a 400 mil habitantes. Para os cerca de 350 mil não-índios há quase 11 milhões de hectares de terras disponíveis, diz estudo do Instituto Socioambiental. Comparando, Pernambuco tem 9,8 milhões de hectares para cerca de 8 milhões de habitantes.
A defesa das nossas fronteiras na Amazônia sempre receberam grande contribuição das comunidades indígenas. Por exemplo, pela incorporação de seus jovens ao Exército para ações em áreas aonde ninguém quer ou sabe ir.
Assim, não há razão concreta, de natureza social ou de segurança, para desconstituir a terra indígena Raposa Serra do Sol. A decisão do Supremo, seja qual for, dirá algo relevante sobre o compromisso do Estado na defesa de uma das principais raízes de nossa identidade cultural, e sobre seu dever de protegê-la, mesmo contrariando interesses ou remando contra marés de incompreensão momentâneas.
The population of Roraima is no more than 400,000 inhabitants. For about 350 thousand non-Indians there are almost 11 million hectares of land available, according to a study by the Socio-Environmental Institute. Compare this to Pernambuco which has 9.8 million hectares for around 8 million inhabitants.
The defense of our borders in the Amazon has always received a great contribution from indigenous communities. For example, the incorporation of their youngsters into the Army for activities in areas where no one wants, or knows how, to go.
Thus, there is no concrete reason, of a social or security nature, for the indigenous land of Raposa Serra do Sol to be deposed. The decision of the Supreme [Court], whatever it be, will say something important about the commitment of the state to the defense of one of the main roots of our cultural identity, and on its duty to protect it, even if contrary to interests or if it meets with momentary misunderstanding.
Charge by Latuff
The other side
In a series of four long posts, Adelson Elias Vasconcellos [pt] explains why he believes that the government needs to review the criteria that led to approval in 2005 of the demarcation of the Raposa do Sol Reservation “with extreme urgency”:
E muito deste dolo se deve ao fato de Lula ter assinado, na ONU, em 2005, o protocolo que torna o Brasil signatário da Declaração Internacional de Autodeterminação das Nações e Povos Indígenas que, se homologadas pelo Congresso, será incorporada à Constituição do Brasil, e partir deste momento, toda e qualquer tribo, nação ou etnia indígenas, poderá declarar-se independente do Brasil. Em números reais, hoje seria 216 novos países que resultaria na perda de mais de 13% de nossa área geográfica, sendo que 90% disto em terras da amazônia. Dá para perceber o forte inteesse estrangeiro na questão da homologação de terras indígenas?
And much of this damage is due to the fact that in 2005 Lula signed Brazil up to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which, if the protocol is approved by Congress, will be incorporated into the Brazilian Constitution, and from this moment, any indigenous tribe, nation or ethnic group may declare themselves independent of Brazil. In actual numbers it would be today 216 new countries that would result in the loss of more than 13% of our geographical area, where 90% of this land is in the Amazon. Can you understand the strong interest abroad in the issue of approval of indigenous land?
Fernando Rizzolo [pt] has a similar opinion:
Só quem não conhece geografia, mal intencionado, ou extremamente leigo, consegue dormir em paz deixando nossas fronteiras abertas numa região perigosa; e não preciso nem dizer porquê.
Only those who do not know geography, who are malicious, or extreme laypersons can sleep in peace while leaving our borders open in a dangerous region, and we do not need to say why.
Bob Back [pt] also believes that something beyond indigenous rights is at stake:
A região tornou-se alvo de interesses estrangeiros, de mineradoras e até de governos, que alimentam a esperança de conseguir arrancar uma lasquinha fresquinha do Brasil. Atuam ali ONGs com interesses excusos.
Colocando-se de ponta-cabeça o mapa do Brasil, este assemelha-se a um imenso presunto, de quem a comunidade internacional busca tirar um pedacinho, alimentando em nossos índios a esperança de tornarem-se em breve uma nação independente do Brasil.
Por iso, convém dizer que só pode haver soberania onde há autoridade. A reserva Raposa do Sol tornou-se terra-de-ninguém, em clima de verdadeiro faroeste.
Até que o cherife apareça para pôr ordem na casa e dizer a que veio…
The region has become the target of foreign interests, mining and even governments, which has nurtured the hope of getting a fresh little piece of Brazil. There are NGOs working there with unkown interests.
Putting the map of Brazil upside down, it looks like a huge piece of ham, of which the international community seeks to take a bit, feeding to our Indians the hope of soon becoming an independent nation from Brazil.
Because of this, it should be said that sovereignty can only happen where there is authority. The reserve Raposa do Sol has become a noman's land in true western film fashion.
Until the sheriff pops in to put the house in order and say what he came for…
Debate and mobilizations
Altino Machado [pt], together with the Makunaima Grita collective, is one among many bloggers promoting an online petition in support of the indigenous peoples of the Raposa Serra do Sol, which has been signed by over 2,000 people so far, and should be sent to Brazil's Supreme Court before Wednesday August 27, the date on which the fate of the land is set to be decided:
Enfatizamos na petição que a Constituição completa 20 anos em outubro e a decisão do Supremo Tribunal Federal no caso da Raposa Serra do Sol precisa honrá-la, resgatando a dignidade aos povos indígenas, fortalecendo nossa democracia pluralista e o Estado Democrático de Direito no Brasil.
We emphasize in the petition that the Constitution celebrates 20 years in October and the Supreme Federal Court's decision on the Raposa Serra do Sol case needs to honor it, rescuing the dignity of indigenous peoples, strengthening our pluralist democracy and Brazil's democratic state.
In a highly relevant article, Sakamoto [pt] reviews the way in which the issue has been portrayed in the media and comments on the heated debate which is now taking place:
O debate está assumindo níveis de ignorância explícita. Já ouvi jornalistas afirmarem que se trata de uma “interdição” de uma área do tamanho de Sergipe para uma populaçao indígena de alguns milhares, comparando a situação com a de trabalhadores rurais sem-terra que esperam a reforma agrária. Primeiro, é um grande erro comparar culturas tão diferentes e tão díspares. Índios caçam e para isso precisam de uma grande área, enquanto nós podemos escolher nossos produtos industrializados e com conservantes nas prateleiras de qualquer supermercado. Isso sem falar das mudanças de roçado e nas suas áreas místicas. E não são as reservas indígenas o entrave da reforma agrária no Brasil. Sabemos que o problema está mais para a política do que a para a antropologia.
The debate is reaching levels of explicit ignorance. I have heard journalists say that this is a “proscription” of an area the size of [the state of] Sergipe for an indigenous population of a few thousand, comparing the situation with that of the landless rural workers who hope for land reform. First, it is a big mistake to compare such different cultures and very unlike ones. Indians hunt and to do so they need a large area, while we can choose our industrialized, preservative-filled products on the shelves of a supermarket. Not to mention their crop rotation and their mystical areas. And the indigenous reserves are not the obstacle to agrarian reform in Brazil. We know that this problem has more to do with politics than with anthropology.
Sakamoto [pt] finishes off his piece with a dose of irony, by saying that in Brazil “Indians have been traded by cattle with the support and connivance of civil society”:
Índios vem sendo mortos freqüentemente. Assim como árvores são transformadas em tábuas. E nunca ninguém precisará saber ao certo quem faz isso porque, na verdade, não estamos mesmo interessados. Que a vida siga como ela sempre foi: nós com nossas reservas intocadas sem gente, os estrangeiros com suas mesas de madeira maciça, carne em abundância e soja barata, os latifundiários com grandes pastos, políticos com férias em Angra e os trabalhadores com seus empregos efêmeros. Do que nos interessa a vida de um grupo de índios, empurrado de um lado para outro, cumprindo pena por ter subvertido a ordem nacional?
Indians have often been killed. Just as trees are turned into boards. And nobody needs to know for sure who does this because, actually, we are not really interested. Let life go on as it has always been: us with our untouched reservations with no people, foreigners with their solid wood tables, meat in abundance and cheap soyabeans, landowners with large grasslands, politicians on holiday in Angra and employees with their ephemeral jobs. Why would we be interested in the lives of a group of Indians, pushed from one side to another, penalized for having subverted the national order?
About 11 percent of Brazilian territory and nearly 22 percent of the Amazon is in Indian hands. The 1988 Brazilian Constitution declared that all Indian ancestral lands must be demarcated and turned over to tribes within five years.

author: Paula Góes


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China: More foreigners protest, aided by 2.0 tools · Global Voices
John Kennedy

One (possibly) last protest post before we get back on topic around here; first is the pseudo-guerrilla Exodus 8:1 mission of Christian activist Eddie ‘iamgadfly’ Romero for human rights in China which has seem him paint murals on the walls of at least 2 rooms in upscale Beijing hotels and then go into hiding. He is still tweeting, however, and uploading videos to YouTube.
And today, a protest held by a group of American Free Tibet activists has been streamed live on Qik.com by intrepid citizen reporter @noneck; further footage is being uploaded as this is being posted:
Most recent tweet from @noneck (aka Noel Hidalgo) came less than an hour ago; the video he mentions appears to be this clip:
I'm qik'n an awesome video of a protest i saw in t sq. The frosting came from a cbc camera man who got his passport stolen by police
Lhadon Tethong from Students for a Free Tibet did something similar this time last year when she also went ‘underground’, hiding from Chinese authorities as she continued to livevlog her quest to get IOC president Jacques Rogge's attention.

source: news-globalvoices

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: John Kennedy


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Costa Rica: Cancer Patient Shares His Ups and Downs · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

An anonymous, 45 year-old Costa Rican recently received some sobering news, and decided to share the news with the world through a blog, even before sharing it with his family.  He begins:
Como lo hago desde hace varios años, alrededor de la fecha de mi cumpleaños me hago un chequeo médico general. El viernes me confirmó el médico que en las radiografías de los pulmones apareció una mancha que definitivamente es un cáncer de pulmón. Nunca he fumado, más que en un período de rebeldía cuando tenía dieciséis años.
Just as I have been doing for many years now, close to my birthday I receive a general medical checkup.  Last Friday, the doctor found a spot on my lung that appeared on the x-rays.  I have never smoked, only in those days of rebellion when I was 16 years old.
The blog called Diario de Un Enfermo de Cáncer [es] or Diary of a Cancer Patient is documenting the struggles of the man recently diagnosed with the disease, including the reaction of his family when he told them [es]:
Ayer me armé de valor y les conté a mi esposa e hijos que tengo cáncer. Las acciones de la Scott Paper de seguro van a subir, de la cantidad de Kleenex que usamos.
Mi esposa es una mujer ejemplar. Valiente, a pesar de esa suavidad de carácter por la que todo el mundo la quiere. Aunque derramó algunas lágrimas, se mantuvo ecuánime y nos infundió valor a todos. Está segura de que podemos vencer al cáncer, así en plural, entre todos. No podemos darnos por vencidos. Como a mi me gusta mucho el futbol, me dice que terminó el primer tiempo 0-1, pero aún tenemos otros 45 minutos para remontar el marcador.
Yesterday, I gathered the courage and I told my wife and kids that I have cancer.  Surely the share prices of Scott Paper will go up, with the amount of Kleenex that we used.
My wife is an exemplary woman.  Brave, even with the softness of character that the entire world loves. Even though she shed some tears, she remained calm and provided bravery to all.  She is sure that we can beat the cancer, just like that in plural form, all of us.  We cannot feel defeated.  Since I like football, she tells me that the first half ended 0-1, but we still have 45 minutes to overcome the score.
Even though the blog recently started recently, it has already attracted quite a following of well-wishes and other concerned with the man's diagnosis.  He posts one more time before his surgery on Friday, saying that he must educate his wife on the financial matters of the household for the worst case scenario.  However, the most recent post is also an opportunity to reflect on the possibility of death.  He is not afraid of dying, but afraid of what he might miss:
Lo que si me preocupa es no vivir lo suficiente como para “ver el final de la película”. Mis hijos están muy chiquillos, y son lo mejor que me ha pasado en la vida. Tal vez soy egoísta, pero no quiero perderme un día de sus vidas. Quiero seguir disfrutándolos, quiero seguir riéndome con sus ocurrencias, babearme con sus talentos, en fin, quiero seguir presente en sus vidas.
What worries me is to not live long enough to “see the end of the movie.”  My children are still very young, and they are the best thing that has happened to me in my life.  Maybe I am selfish, but I don't want to miss a single day of their lives.  I want to continue to enjoy them, I want to continue to laugh at their witty remarks, be overrun by their talents, meaning, I want to remain present in their lives.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Estonia: WWII Book Review · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Itching for Eestima posts a review of Eesti Legion – a photobook by ex Prime Minister Mart Laar on the Estonian Legion during the Second World War – and reflects on historical perceptions. Gedanken über Estland reports (GER) that the very same book was recently confiscated by German police as possible neo-Nazi propaganda.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Georgia: 10 Russian Planes Downed, 40 Tanks Destroyed · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Regional Reporters [RU] quotes the Georgian government as claiming 10 Russian aircraft have been downed in the continuing conflict over South Ossetia and that 40 tanks have been destroyed. Two Russian pilots are reportedly receiving medical treatment in Tbilisi.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Georgia: Armenians Evacuated · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped says that 150 Armenian citizens in the Georgian resort towns of Batumi and Kobuleti are being evacuated from the country as military conflict with Russia intensifies. The blog also says that the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports no casualties among Armenian citizens in Georgia.


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Georgia: History Repeating? · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Writing from Tbilisi, Wu Wei says images of Russian tanks entering the Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia bring back memories of Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968. Meanwhile, although no official evacuation of foreign citizens from Georgia has started, one USAID team is departing, and the blog provides helpful advice for those who might be instructed to leave in the future. The blog also says that Greece so far has no plans to evacuate its citizens.


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Georgia: Missing Journalists · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Regional Reporters [RU], a new blog set up by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting posts an announcement expressing its concern that two reporters,  Alexander Klimchuk and Giga Chikhladze, have not been heard from for two days. The last time the journalists were seen was yesterday morning near Tskhinvali, capital of the breakaway region of South Ossetia. The blog posts a telephone number for anyone having information on their whereabouts.


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Georgia, Russia: Cyrillic Bloggers React to the Conflict in South Ossetia · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

See Global Voices special coverage page on the South Ossetia crisis.
In a brief report sent around noon on Aug. 8 from a hotel basement in Tskhinvali, the beleaguered capital of South Ossetia, Russian journalist Mikhail Romanov wrote this about the nature of the ongoing conflict between Georgia and Russia:
[…] The city is under heavy howitzer and mortar fire. An endless cannonade. I've seen many wounded people.
Peacekeepers are commenting succinctly: “This is war.”
I was planning to leave tomorrow, a car was supposed to pick me up at 5 in the morning. Now it's not clear whether it'll pick me up. In general, nothing is clear.
Earlier that day, around 4 AM local time, LJ user alan_tskhurbaev, a blogger from Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia-Alania, had a phone conversation with a friend from Tskhinvali (RUS):
He is sitting in the basement, with a machine gun, and is so angry, he's almost crying. He says that machine guns are of no use to anyone here. Says that the city has been washed so forcefully with the [multiple rocket launcher system “Grad”] fire that the level of destruction is going to be very serious. He cannot talk about casualties yet, as there is even less information there than here. He says it has grown quieter now. He can't believe this is really happening. He's asking, Where is Russia?
U.S.-based LJ user saugin, who, in a comment to an earlier post by LJ user alan_tskhurbaev, mentioned (RUS) that his wife and younger son were also hiding in a basement in Tskhinvali, commented on Russia's involvement in the conflict and initiated the following discussion (RUS):
saugin:
On all forums I always used to say that Russia wasn't going to help us. Back home, they almost tore me into pieces for this. So where is this much-praised Russia now? I'd like to ask [Eduard Kokoity, president of South Ossetia] – where are your masters who you had trusted so much?
alan_tskhurbaev:
[We've been betrayed.]
vinous_granat [posted at 4:26 PM, after the Russian troops entered South Ossetia]:
Do you still think this way?
alan_tskhurbaev:
[They did desert us.] Russian tanks spent 15 hours riding through the tunnel. During this time, nothing was left of Tskhinvali.
LJ user m-yu-sokolov, a well-known Russian columnist,
reacted with joy and relief (RUS) on hearing of Russia's decision to deploy troops to South Ossetia. Based outside the volatile region, however, he seemed more concerned with his country's image rather than the human suffering and destruction caused by the fighting:
You've heard my prayers, God. Our tanks are moving towards Tskhinval. Russia has chosen against shameful dishonor.
Eduard Limonov, leader of the seemingly oppositional National Bolshevik Party, issued a rather un-oppositional statement, in which he called the Russian leadership to become even more involved in the conflict in South Ossetia – and in Abkhazia, another breakaway region of Georgia. LJ user skovorodnikov reposted Limonov's statement in the namarsh_ru LJ community:
http://www.nazbol.ru/rubr2/2339.html
A new war has broken out in the Caucasus region. Last night, Georgian forces intruded on the territory of South Ossetia, which has been an independent state for 15 years already. Severe fighting is taking place there now.
The leadership of the Russian Federation has already made a tragic mistake. Russia should have peacefully deployed its troops to South Ossetia long before the battles allowed the Georgians in. Now there is only one obvious way for Russia to respond. Namely, as a preventive measure, Russian troops should immediately enter Abkhazia. Simultaneously, North Ossetian and Cossack volunteers should be allowed to form armed groups and fight against the Georgian troops in South Ossetia.
I insist on recommending the Russian leadership to follow my advice. This is the only way for Russia to save face and keep the status of a great country.
Below is a snippet of a subsequent discussion (RUS) of Limonov's stance, which took place between two bloggers, one of whom appears to be a supporter of the National Bolshevik Party:
fox_unexisted:
Well, pro-Kremlin [National Bolsheviks] – it's beyond me.
nb_kazan:
What is pro-Kremlin about it?
fox_unexisted:
A total agreement on this issue! While it's worth considering that a victorious war will only strengthen the current regime!
nb_kazan:
Damn it, and what if Putin suddenly gives us a real democracy and flourishing […]? Are you going to be against it as well? In general, this TOTAL rejection of any of the regime's steps is driving me mad sometimes. The regime cannot ALWAYS be wrong. Sometimes they act correctly, but even in this case the regime has acted too slowly and clumsily. […]
fox_unexisted:
The Russian people will get nothing out of it but the bodies of the Russian soldiers who died in a war for the Georgian territory. […]
While the boundary separating the Russian opposition from their pro-Kremlin counterparts is somewhat blurry now, Russian hippie bloggers consider holding an anti-war demonstration. LJ user svetlyj_vrn wrote this (RUS) in the ru_hippy LJ community:
[…] We've found ourselves in a similar situation as our brethren had in America in the 60s. The governments of Georgia, Ossetia, Russia and America, with support from the UN, are pushing the world towards yet another war. The Vietnam War was stopped thanks to the efforts of the hippies. What about us? Are we going to stand on the sidelines? Maybe we should remind the world what a pacifists’ demonstration is like? […]
It remains to be seen, however, whether anything will come out of this initiative.
Since the escalation of the conflict in South Ossetia has coincided with the opening of the Olympics in China, a number of bloggers commented on that as well.
LJ user shavu posted this sarcastic item (RUS), referring to the recent Russian-Chinese agreement that ended a decades-long territorial dispute between the two states:
By the way, yes – everything had been planned in advance. They had even paid China with a little island for the inconvenience [to be] caused on the opening day of the Olympics.
LJ user scrolllock wrote (RUS):
Currently on TV: Georgian Olympic team is walking down the stadium in Beijing, the athletes are waving flags, forced smiles on their faces. What does it feel like, to be walking and smiling […], while there's a war going on back home? […]
LJ user vaxo, a Ukrainian-Georgian journalist Vakhtang Kipiani, compared the pre-war situation in South Ossetia to what's taking place in Crimea now and explained (RUS, UKR) why Ukrainian officials “should better be watching broadcasts from Tskhinvali rather than the opening of the Olympic Games”:
“Leonid Grach, a Communist and people's deputy of Ukraine from Crimea, said that if Ukraine joined NATO, Crimea would secede from [Ukraine]. ‘This is an alternative for the Crimean people, for which they are ready by now. Crimeans will never agree to live in a country that's been dragged into NATO,’ said Grach.”
If you take into account that our [government] doesn't know how many citizens of Ukraine who live in [Crimea] hold Russian passports + [the problem of 2017] ([Russian Black Sea Fleet] – “no one is leaving anywhere!”) = today's events in Georgia shouldn't be treated as something that has nothing to do with [Ukraine]. […]
Kipiani didn't specify which TV channels the Ukrainian authorities should be tuning in to for the news from South Ossetia, but, judging from another post of his (UKR), he did not mean Russia's state-owned Channel 1:
After reporting the deaths of 1,400 people (“citizens of Russia,” so to say!) – they are airing laughter and jokes [by popular Russian entertainers].
[…] Either the loss of over a thousand people is a trifle for the Kremlin and [Channel 1 management], or they think everyone else around them are fools.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Georgia: Saakashvili’s Miscalculation · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Armenian Observer says that the latest military confrontation between Russia and Georgia was a miscalculation by the Georgian president, Mikhail Saakashvili. The blog also says that with a defacto state of war waging in Armenia's northern neighbor, there are concerns at home about the conflict with Azerbaijan over another disputed breakaway territory — Nagorno Karabakh.


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Georgia: Seeing Friends off to War · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

My The Caucasian Knot quotes a friend in Tbilisi who reports he is seeing friends off to war as Georgian reservists are called up to fight against Russian troops in South Ossetia. He also says that the majority of Georgians are behind their president and that the town of Gori has been bombed by Russian jets.


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Georgia: The Blame Game · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

See Global Voices special coverage page on the South Ossetia crisis.
With the international media reporting that Georgian forces are now engaged in direct conflict with the Russian military on the outskirts of Tskhinvali, capital of the breakaway region of South Ossetia, the situation still remains tense and unpredictable. Yet, with ethnic separatists claiming 1,400 civilians have been killed, views on the conflict remain polarized and ultimately appear to reflect what some see as a conflict over Russian and Western interests in the region.
More alarmingly for some observers is concern that the defacto state of war between Georgia and Russia will destabilize an already volatile region. With Azerbaijan already alleging that the Russian jets which bombed the Vaziani military base on the outskirts of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, took off from Armenia, The Global Buzz believes the concerns are very real.
Clearly something big is happening right now in Georgia but it is not clear from the news reports exactly what is occurring.  If this is a full-scale Georgian invasion of South Ossetia, the question is, do the Russians intervene to prop up the separatist regime?  If they do, does Georgia – with implicit American backing – go to war with Russia?  If they don't, do the Georgians brazenly take that as a signal that the Russians won't risk war in Georgia and then try to roll into Abkhazia?
Might a Georgian-Russian confrontation in South Ossetia inspire more unrest in Chechnya?  And seeing Russia distracted in Georgia, will Azerbaijan use this opportunity to take back Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia?
Too many questions, not enough answers.
But while some see the conflict as Russia meddling in the internal affairs of a former Soviet republic, many such as Unzipped are starting to blame the clashes on brinkmanship from the Georgian president, Mikhail Saakashvili.
It is impossible to sympathise with Georgia’s not infrequent discriminatory policies towards ethnic minorities […]. At the end of the day, some may say this is not really about Ossetia or Georgia, it’s about USA and Russia. While international politics play key roles in escalating the conflict, there are some essential local issues and responsibilities which Georgian authorities prefer us not to notice.
A Fistful of Euros agrees and also says the conflict has as much to do with Saakashvili and Georgian nationalism as Russian agression.
Who started it? — Looks like Georgia. The sniping earlier came from both sides, but the Georgians have clearly launched a major ground offensive, and that doesn’t just happen by accident. […]
[…]
So, is it working? — It’s too early to tell, but it’s not looking good. […]
Why did Saakashvili try this now? […]
Saakashvili is an ardent nationalist who doesn’t view the disputes with Russia rationally. To him, they’re painful and continuing insults to the national soul.
More importantly, Saakashvili is a gambler. That’s because he lacks patience. […]
[…]
So, Saakashvili was stupid? — That might be too strong. But it looks like he made a couple of bad assumptions.
Writing on the New York Times blog, Paul Goble agrees to some extent and says that the Georgian president probably thought he could rely on U.S. support. The regional analyst also warns that the situation could spiral out of control.
What does this mean for the region? Let me offer several observations that go beyond the comment I wrote up earlier – that the entire Northern Caucasus, which includes parts of Georgia and Azerbaijan as well, is rapidly descending into chaos.
[…] lots more is going to happen in the region than just in Ossetia. Look for moves first in Abkhazia — I am sure arms are being handed out and troops moved — and elsewhere as well. And look for Islamist groups to exploit any movement of pro-Russian forces.
Lawyers, Guns and Money says that both Georgia and Russia have just claims and grievances against each other, but also blames Saakashvili. The blog also believes that Georgia's aspirations towards NATO membership as well as U.S. interests in the region have now suffered a significant setback.
[…] I am less sympathetic to the Georgian case because I think that escalating the war (and providing an excuse for Russian counter-escalation) was a damn stupid thing for Saakashvili to do, and a remarkably damn stupid thing for him to do absent an extremely compelling cause. Small, weak states living next to abrasive, unpredictable great powers need to be extremely careful about what they do; in most cases, their foreign policy should, first and foremost, be about avoiding war with the great power. This is what Saakashvili failed to do. The war didn't need to escalate; it was a Georgian decision to move from the village skirmishes that were happening on Tuesday to the siege of Tsikhinvali on Thursday.
[…]
Saakashvili was having political trouble before the war began, and will enjoy a bump even if Georgia loses. That won't last long; if the Russians don't remove him themselves, the Georgians probably will at some point. The stakes for Saakashvili are, thus, quite high, which is possibly why he spent half the day begging for Western assistance on CNN.
[…]
If the war develops as expected, and Russia pounds Georgia until the latter cries uncle, the United States will have suffered a substantial political setback. Hegemony or no, the United States will have been unable to give significant military aid to an Iraq War ally facing the prospect of interstate war. This isn't the end of the world, but it's not great.
Others, such as Crooked Timber, believe blaming the Georgian president is missing the point.
[…] We can spend any amount of time on the rights and wrongs of it, and whether the Saakashvili has brought this on himself. But as the news is filtering in, I have a couple of very superficial observations to make.
The current level of hostility has been bubbling towards the boil all year, but I truly thought the Russians would wait for a more obvious excuse to send the tanks in. But why wait when you can slip quietly into an obscure part of the Caucasus on the monster news day that follows the Olympics opening ceremony?
[…]
[…] wanting to join NATO is not a provocation. As Russia’s actions have clearly shown, joining NATO was the only sensible thing to do.
Writing from Tbilisi, Wu Wei also sides with the Georgians.
The only ethnic bit is the Georgians going back into their own territory. And then they let the civilians out in the cease fire, into Georgian territory. What have the Russians been doing for their citizens? I haven't seen any coming out. The South Ossetian provisional government was sending people to Georgia during the moratorium, not to Russia. Hard to see that as ethnic cleansing. It seems that the S Ossetian fighters didn't use the cease fire to give up their arms and didn't observe the cease fire either.
Geographic Travels with Catholicgauze! also warns that unless the West supports Georgia, an unfortunate precedent will be set.
This is a nightmare. Besides the fact war is horrible, this will set all sorts of new boundaries in the Russia versus the West Geopolitical War. If Russia can save South Ossetia and take them away from Georgia then might makes right. It also serves as a warning to those who wish to join NATO. The message would be “Russia can take away pieces of your territory.” It could also justify a more Eurasian Serbian government's forceful attempt to take back ethnic Serbian parts of Kosovo.
Geogrian President Saakashvili is not perfect. However, he is very pro-West, anti-terrorism, and pushes democratic reforms so his country may one day join the Europen Union and NATO. If Georgia, a Eurasian country that turned into a European one, fails; then democrats the world over will begin to wonder if the West truely supports them when the going gets rough.
Meanwhile, despite the fighting, life continues in other parts of the country although Armenia and me says that friends in Georgia, especially with family members wanting to enlist. are concerned. Wu Wei also paints a picture of business as usual, or at least for foreign nationals in the capital.
Betsy's hotel is an institution in Tbilisi. It has been the home from home for expats at least from 1994, when I first stayed there. Betsy is a formidable American lady. The hotel has moved to a new location since I first stayed there. By then there was not much shooting and not much electricity either.
Was there panic tonight? Not really.
Did we sit glued to the TV wondering if we would ever get out? Not really. Some people were watching the Olympics as you might expect.
Betsy came and went. A normal Friday evening.
Perhaps the most alarming thing, the blog notes, is the condition of Georgian hospitals. The Global Buzz also reports that almost all flights out of Tbilisi have been cancelled.


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Kazakhstan: Morality Would Frown Upon · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Adam posts a shocking story of the raping of a schoolgirl in a distant province and the failure of law enforcement bodies to investigate the case properly. The story was published in a Kazakh-language newspaper.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Kyrgyzstan: Friction Over Manas · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Josh Foust says that Kyrgyz officials have confiscated dozens of weapons from a house rented by U.S. officials in Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan.


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Lebanon: Understanding Zionism  · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“The first time I met and listened to a zionist, I cannot tell you how suspicious I was of every word he said. Many ideas crossed my mind when I heard him speak […]  It took me almost a year to overcome my suspicion,” writes Worried Lebanese about understanding but not necessarily approving of Zionism.

author: Moussa Bashir


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MENA: Visas of Fulbright scholars revoked · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Earlier this week three Palestinians, recipients of prestigious Fulbright scholarships to study in the United States, had their visas revoked by the US, preventing them from taking up the scholarships. A fourth, a high-school student on a separate programme, was also stopped. Yet two and a half months ago, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had personally intervened to make sure that the grant winners would be able to go. Why the last-minute change of heart? Bloggers from around the Middle East have a number of theories.
The story started at the end of May when seven Fulbright winners from the Gaza Strip had their grants withdrawn, as the US State Department was concerned that it would not be able to get them out of the Gaza Strip to the American Consulate in Jerusalem for visa interviews. Condoleezza Rice made sure the scholarships were reinstated, and because Israel would not allow three of the seven, Zuhair Abu Shaban, Fida Abed and Osama Daoud, to leave Gaza because they were ‘security risks’, American officials made exceptional efforts and interviewed the three on the Gaza border. All three were subsequently granted visas, on 30 July. Two days later, however, their visas were revoked. Fida Abed had already flown to Washington, but was turned away at the airport and sent straight back to Amman, Jordan. State Department officials will only say that ‘new information’ was received about the three, along with a fourth, Ahmed Ma'arri, a 14-year-old high-school student who was the recipient of a separate scholarship.
Emily, writing at the Arab-American blog KABOBfest, is not really surprised:
Three of the seven Fulbright grantees from Gaza have had their visas canceled finally by the US: one, after flying to Washington only to be told by border security that his visa was no longer valid. The saga of the journey to Jordan strikes me as a remarkably hallmark Palestinian travel experience. If Israel finally had information in the end to send over to the US authorities to cause them to cancel the three visas, it strikes me as publicly admitting that the seven were originally denied based on no information whatsoever. (Whether that information is accurate or not… I mean, clearly, the kid just out of high school is a terrorist planning to use his education to bomb and kill.) I'd like to see the security information forwarded by Israel. Who wants to place a bet that it says “Palestinian, male, born in Gaza= DENIED.”
Israeli-American blogger Jerry Haber, writing at The Magnes Zionist, believes Israel wanted to save face:
Meet Fidaa Abed and Ahmed Ma'ari. Abed was headed to the University of California at San Diego for a graduate degree in computer science. Ahmed is a high school student. Both won Fulbrights to study in the US. Both had their Fulbrights cancelled, then reinstated, then US visas issued, then revoked. Now, let me get this straight. At first they weren't a security threat; they were just kept in Gaza because of Israel's stranglehold on that territory. It's called “collective punishment” – if we hurt the Gazans enough, they will rise up and throw out Hamas. Gee, that's a smart strategy. Certainly has worked. […] What's a better explanation for the reversal of fortune? That Mr. Abed and Mr. Ma'ari are the victims of a face-saving ploy that Israel was desparate to pull off, and that America has agreed to, for the moment. You know the drill – the US decides to let some of the Fulbright students in (to make Condi happy), and decide to keep some of that out (to make Israel happy). That resolves the diplomatic mini-crisis. On the backs of the Palestinians.
Ms. Missive, an American living in Israel, writing at Patriot Missive, thinks the US handled the situation badly:
It wouldn’t be first time we’ve looked so clumsy. I’m still waiting on details of the security concerns though.
In a follow-up post, she points out that some Arab students currently studying in the US have just paid a trip to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.
DesertPeace, an American living in Jerusalem, is concerned that just opposing Israeli policies would be enough to prevent travel:
‘Are you now? Were you ever?’ Obviously two questions that weren’t asked of the Gaza recipients of Fulbright grants when they applied for travel permits. In the ‘good-ole’ McCarthy era those questions were in reference to membership in the Communist Party, today it refers to any organisation you may belong to that is opposed to the genocidal policies of Israel. Condoleeza Rice, herself, took a position that helped these young students get their travel permits in order…. but it seems that the powers of AIPAC are even stronger than the office of the Secretary of State.
However Carl, an American-born Israeli writing at Israel Matzav, thinks the decision was right:
And the [denied] three apparently have closer connections to Hamas and terrorism than Condi was willing to admit two months ago. Don't hold your breaths waiting for Condi or anyone else at State to apologize.
A number of bloggers look at the long-term implications of such a decision. Arab-American blogger Edmund, writing at The Philistine, asks:
What “new” information could there be? By denying education to the masses and even the few all you do is give extremist more recruits. Now you understand why white slave owners denied education to their “workers.” The less you know the easier you are to control and the US and Israel fear the prospect of an educated Arab (Palestinian) society.
Teach the Masses in Kuwait echoes the sentiment:
Yes, no doubt the ‘new information’ was fabricated as a cover for the plain fact that the Israelis want as few well-educated Palestinians around as possible – makes containment easier.
US blogger Richard Silverstein, writing at Tikun Olam, despairs at the short-sightedness of the decision:
At this rate, the U.S. is lucky that any Gaza students have an interest in studying in this country.  Certainly, the Israeli “evidence” is designed to promote obstacles for Palestinians to study abroad.  It is not in Israel’s interests for Gazans to do so.  God only knows what academic knowledge and expertise they might bring back with them to improve the lot of their fellow Gazans when they return.  Who knows what new theories they might advance, new businesses they might create, new political ideas they might implant?  It’s all certainly too much for Israel, which prefers an impoverished, poorly educated society as one that is supposedly easier to dominate. […] These Palestinian young people are learning a lesson from this – that the U.S. is not to be trusted, that it is little better than Israel in fabricating reasons to suspect Palestinians.  Such lessons last a lifetime, and not just in those of the specific victims, but in the lifetimes of young Palestinian children who would be the Fulbright applicants of the future.  At this rate, we’ll be lucky next year if ANY Palestinian wants to apply.  And we wonder why Arabs hate us.
We end with some comments by Hassan, the teacher of the high-school student Ahmed Ma'arri who was prevented from going to the US. Hassan was commenting on an article in the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz:
I want to add that Ahmed is only 14 years old , one of the best students at a program called ACCESS sponsored by AMIDEAST, he went through so many exams and interviews to gain this scholarship, he is a mere boy. He has nothing to do with politics or Hamas. He just dreamed to be a good, distinguished student. He has been taught in a course for two years how to love the world and how to be an open minded student. He did so many presentations about the American culture and the cultures around the world. You are just frustrating our kids and want them all to be as you call it “terrorist or martyrs “. PLZ. What threat does this 14 -year-old student have for the security of the USA or Israel?
And in response to another commenter who asked if Ahmed had celebrated when the World Trade Center was destroyed, Hassan said:
Thanks indeed you all who support Ahmed and I really sympathize with those who are still misled by the media. Firstly, at 9 /11 Ahmed was only six years old. Secondly, Ahmed belongs to an educated family… You should know that most people decline the idea to let their sons travel for one year especially at this critical age. Thirdly, we have lots of political diversity. […] Plz, Let Our Kids Lead a Healthy life.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Michèle Pierre-Louis, Haiti’s new prime minister · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

In June, Haitian President René Préval nominated civil society leader, activist and economist Michèle Pierre-Louis Prime Minister.  She's faced an uphill battle ever since, her confirmation threatened by widespread rumors about her sexual orientation.
The President, elected by popular vote, nominates the Prime Minister, but that nomination must be confirmed by Parliament.  Last week, following the Chamber of Deputies (the Haitian Parliament's lower house), the Senate finally voted in favor of Ms. Pierre-Louis's nomination, after President Préval's first two choices had failed to pass muster.
Ms. Pierre-Louis is founder and current Executive Director of FOKAL, a non-profit funded in part by the Soros foundation that works for economic empowerment.  Kiskeyacity author Alice Backer says Ms. Pierre Louis-‘s nomination was welcomed by those “tired of Haitian-style, male-dominated politics as usual.”
Not everyone was ready for such a change.
Jocelyn McCalla, former Executive Director of the National Coalition for Haitian Rights, summarizes the attacks against Ms. Pierre-Louis on her blog, JMC Strategies:
Préval’s opponents have seized on the nomination — and the Haitian President’s intriguing silence since then — to launch a full-scale assault on Pierre-Louis’ sexual orientation, moral core and fitness for the position. Blows below the belt have been the norm rather than the exception. They have not questioned her qualifications, reviewed, analyzed and critiqued her record. Innuendos, half-truths, convoluted associations are the tools they have used. The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth who torpedoed Senator John Kerry’s 2004 bid for the US presidency could learn one thing or two from this band of losers who feed on popular misconceptions and exploit the functional illiteracy that plagues even Haiti’s so-called elite.
In Martinique, le blog de [moi], noting that “this is apparently the first time that a question of a candidate's ‘morality’ became obstacle to his or her nomination” [Fr] writes:
Dans un premier temps, l’annonce du choix de l’économiste Michèle Pierre-Louis, fin juin, a donc été vue d’un bon oeil tant son implication dans la société civile semble faire d’elle un personnage incontournable de l’île. L’espoir de voir Haïti se sortir de cette énième crise politique n’était pas loin mais c’était sans compter sur certaines rumeurs…
Malversations ? Meurtres ? Corruption ? Proxénétisme ? Trafic de drogue ? Trafic d’organes ? Trafic d’êtres humains ? Que nenni… Elle vivrait avec une femme se murmure-t-il. Je décode ? Elle serait lesbienne homosexuelle. Un crime ? Non, pire: un pêché.
WK, a reader, responds:
M’enfin il ne faut pas voir la lez partout. :-P Je pense que c’est simplement l’équation femme de pouvoir=lesbienne.
One blogger had a slightly different take on morality's role in selecting politicians.   Joseph Gerald Bataille, Jr. seems to suggest that questions about Ms. Pierre-Louis's private life were fair game, noting that “elected and appointed officials are subject to an assessment of qualification and personal morality (according to the constitution)” even though there is “absolutely zero evidence” of morality in the Haitian government.
So why all the ruckus now with all of the corruption that already exists in our government? Well, several years ago, Mme. Pierre-Louis allegedly had an affair, cheating on her husband with a woman. When confronted by her husband, she allegedly left him, choosing to break her marriage vow to continue her relationship with this woman. This treads on cultural and moral taboos that, in Haiti, go beyond the church.
I don’t believe that Haiti has ever seen such a fight for the personal morality of an official, but I believe that this battle opened the door wide for people to start really considering it. It will become a big issue in the next election, provoking the people to discuss all kinds of political and moral corruption.
Pierre-Louis's confirmation a victory for gay rights?  Women?
Alice Backer decribes an outpouring of support online for Ms. Pierre-Louis among Haitian in the Diaspora, including a Facebook group, Soutenir Michèle Pierre-Louis, which organized a petition.
She reminds readers that Ms. Pierre-Louis is not “out,” and may or may not even be a lesbian.  “My contacts in Haiti who support her feel like her private life is just that and should not be a factor here. If anything, this is a confirmation of the prized values of privacy and discretion in the national psyche rather than an explicit gay rights victory.”  In other words, don't ask don't tell.  Ms. Pierre-Louis's confirmation is less a victory against sexual discrimination or for gay rights, but rather a “triumph of discretion.”
Jocelyn McCalla was dismayed by one petition‘s attempt to make Ms. Pierre-Louis's confirmation a question of gender discrimination.  She notes that Haiti has had two prominent woman leaders since 1990, Ertha Pascal Trouillot, a Haitian Supreme Court Judge who led the interim government that organized the elections before Aristide's first presidency, and Claudette Werleigh, Prime Minister for four months from 1995 to 1996:
I tried to frame the debate in human rights terms and so urged the petitioners to do so: everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or preference is entitled to seek higher office and to serve their country to the best of their ability. But that did not go down well with the petitioners who chose to frame it in terms of sexual discrimination, i.e. that a woman was being denied the opportunity to lead a government because she was, simply put, a woman. In other words, they chose to walk away from the opportunity to elevate the debate, and bring along the mostly disenfranchised Haitians who suffer from the instability of a political vacuum that is taking its toll on impoverished Haiti.
Guy S. Antoine agrees:
You are right. I don’t think that this is a case of misogyny or sexual discrimination. It’s sheer idiocy. On second thought, if it is not, then it must surely be calculated idiocy with the aim of masking ultra-reactionary impulses that seek to counter her life record of service to the disenfranchised or to settle accounts (read, inflict payback) for her political militancy in a recent past. Those who foolishly want to raise the issue of her sexual orientation should remember that Biblical texts also condemn adultery in no uncertain terms. On that score, how many presidents or prime ministers in our history would have been able to claim those pious moral standards? Would we still be looking in this third century since 1804 for the founders of a nation still to come to grips with the notion that somehow you must crawl before you can run (or even take baby steps).
Many bloggers made some allusion to the fact that while many were busy pouring over the details of Ms. Pierre-Louis's private life, the office of prime minister had remained vacant for months, all while Haiti was facing far more urgent issues than a public official's sexual orientation.  JMC Strategies writes:
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported last week that tons of food aid sent urgently to Haiti a few months ago have yet to reach the poor. Haiti’s allies, fearing the worst after riots spread throughout Haiti last March and caused the government’s fall had supplied the relief assistance. Thus the food deficit remains as much a problem today as it was several months ago. Why hasn’t the country been aflame with riots? The answer may be in the fact that people are filling up their bellies with clay or mud pies. The manufacture and sale of this meal has emerged as one of the most profitable business venture in recent history (see this story in the Guardian).
Should Pierre-Louis become Prime Minister, she will have quite a lot on her plate.
Image of Michèle Pierre-Louis copyright Tequila Minsky 2008. Used with permission

author: Jennifer Brea


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Mongolia: Day of Fathers to be marked · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

RML says that Mongolian men work hard, drink hard, live hard, but recently proposed Day of Fathers could be a good step to raise the prestige of being a father, a good husband, and a good provider.


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Mongolia: Engaging Citizens on human impact on ecosystems · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

RML reports that the Asia Foundation in Mongolia has launched “Securing our Future,” a program to engage citizens in resource use decision making that affects their lives.


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Palestine: The children who forgot how to have fun · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

The situation in the Gaza Strip has affected every aspect of life, and every age group. Blogger Samaher Al Khazandar describes the difficulties a kindergarten had when trying to hold a party at the end of the school year.
Samaher says:
She explains how one proprietor was persuaded that the children needed a party:


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Russia: Religious leaders call for stopping the bloodshed · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Voices from Russia reports that Russian religious leaders – including Orthodox Patriarch Aleksei II – are calling for a stop of the bloodshed in South Ossetia


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South Ossetia: Cyberattack on Georgian Presidential Website · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user brahmansk [Russian] reports that starting Saturday morning hackers have launched a massive cyber-attack on the Georgian presidential website.


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South Ossetia: East European Leaders Condemn Russia · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

A Step At A Time reposted a joint statements by the leaders of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland condemning Russia's aggression against Georgia, in which they also call the Western position a “litmus-test for the credibility of the EU and NATO”. Moreover, they question the future of the EU strategic partnership with Russia.


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South Ossetia: Why Are They Russian Citizens? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user barskaya [Russian] quotes the Russian citizenship legislation and cannot understand on what legal grounds so many South Ossetians have received Russian citizenship.


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Southeast Asia and Beijing Olympics · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Close to 200 athletes from the Southeast Asian region are participating in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The big news (as far as the region is concerned) during the opening ceremonies are the exclusion of Brunei during the event and the “improper” waving of the Singaporean flag by the country’s flagbearer.
Brunei was expelled from the opening ceremony because it failed to register on time its two participating athletes. Kati-Ella is angry:
“How could Brunei's Olympic Committee miss the deadline to register our athletes? What do these people do? There's a whole committee to look after two athletes! Everyone was there….even Iraq and Afghanistan…even the poorest countries in the world were there….I'm so depressed.”
The flagbearer of Singapore made a mistake of dragging the country’s flag on the floor. Chronicles of SGnia writes:
“I couldn't say I am a patriotic Singaporean. In fact, I never was. But when I saw how my country flag is treated, I am disgusted. It swept on the ground of the “bird nest” stadium in Beijing in front of billions watching in the world.”
Adding to the controversy was the fact that the flagbearer was not born and raised in Singapore. DK is disappointed:
“I feel a bit disgrace when our national flag is being carried by a foreign talent during the Olympic opening ceremony. Why are we buying talents to bring an Olympic medal back?”
The Philippines too has sent foreign talents in the Olympics. Confluent Thoughts mentions this issue:
“We sent a little more than a dozen athletes most of whom perhaps were trained some place else, to the biggest sporting event in the world. I don’t know with you, but I’d say, that reflects the pathetic state of Philippine sports!”
Are Southeast Asian countries desperate to win a gold medal? Since the start of the Olympic Games more than a hundred years ago, Southeast Asian countries have only won 51 medals overall. Governments have been increasing the financial incentives for athletes who will bring home a gold medal.
Most bloggers in the region were impressed by China’s preparation for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Indonesian blogger Jenny's Journies sums up the reaction of bloggers: “It is beyond words!”
A Malaysian blogger is proud of China and Asia:
“I would put my praise on China for such an awesome, fantastic, bombastic, acrobatic, ‘out of this world’ opening, that I would have to rethink of any other nation that could ever beat the Beijing games in years to come. I am very much sure that there is a great sense of envy that China could build up such a spectacular show. I had the feeling of pride swimming in my heart, despite the host nation having little to none of connection to me. I guess, this is what they call ‘One Asia for the whole of Asia‘.”
Quachee adds:
“The opening ceremony was simply spectacular. China really took this opportunity to inform the world about itself in some subtle ways…The coming in of the athletes in the non conforming way of the usual alphabetical order. I believe that this shows that China is prepared not to heed any rules, but instead is ready to make its own rules (in fact, it already has) for the world to follow.”
Tan Geng Hui’s Homepage writes:
“This awesome opening ceremony, was simply mind blowing, they captured my heart and thoughts, from a sporting and world citizen perspective. The crowds were simply superb, the performances dazzling and spectacular, showcasing how the inventions and creations of China, helped to shape the world. It certainly lived up to its reputation and promise, to be the Best Olympics Opening Ceremony in history.”
IZ Reloaded praises and criticizes China:
“It's great to see a fellow Asian country putting up such a wonderful spectacle but as the Chinese spent millions to make sure their Olympics is a success, I can't help but think about the millions of people in Darfur who are suffering because of the Chinese continued sponsoring of the genocide there. China may have staged the greatest Olympic Opening Ceremony ever but they have to look at themselves for assisting in the death of hundreds of thousands of people thousand miles away.”
No. 18htn believes the Olympic should be “a celebration of sports and not a bad brew of politics.” Mum's the Word (or Pa) adds that politics should be minimized:
“We shouldn't import too much of the calculations of politics into the striving of honest sportsmen. Let them show off their sporting skills!”
How was the Olympic TV coverage in the region? VA to VN observes in Vietnam:
“The Vietnamese broadcaster didn't really say much about any of the countries until it got to the former Soviet Bloc – he was talking about Sergey Bubka when Ukraine was announced.  I guess all the communist countries know each other.”
Andystorm is annoyed by too many advertisements. Since a state-owned network is broadcasting the Olympic Games in Indonesia, Java Milk hopes there will be less TV ads. First Draft from the Philippines has a complaint too:
“I've waited for some time for the Philippine delegation during the parade of participating countries. Unfortunately, when the Philippines’ time to show up came, it only merited about three seconds on TV.”
Regional leaders attended the opening ceremonies. Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, was seen taking some pictures at the stadium. Philippine President Gloria Arroyo and Cambodian King Sihamoni Norodom were also at the opening ceremonies. A blogger asks if Singapore leader MM Lee, whose face was very red during the program, was a bit drunk?
The Daily Brunei Resources shares a brief history of the Olympics. Check out the regional medal tally.

author: Mong Palatino


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Tajikistan: Energy crisis repeated · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Vadim reports that Tajikistan will not be able to avoid another harsh winter without electricity.


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Tajikistan: Saving Shughni Language · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Ian tells how a group of scholars at the University of Kentucky is working on a grammar of Shughni language, spoken in the Badakhshan region of Tajikistan.


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Ukraine: Repaying the moral debt of oligarchy · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Kiev Ukraine News Blog reports on how Ukrainian – and for that case Russian – oligarchs try to repair their tarnished reputations by charity and “good works.”


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Uzbekistan: Singing in a problem · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Libertad uploads a video of Uzbek schoolchildren singing old war-time Soviet song in a former shore of Aral Sea which is disappearing in the largest environmental catastrophe of the century.


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ASEAN’s 41st anniversary · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

ephraim posts a speech of Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Day reception. Mr. Yeo stressed that people in the region “must increasingly internalise a sense of ASEAN citizenship.”


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Belarus: Roma still excluded from education · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Roma Gypsy Romany Gypsy reposted an article describing how Roma in Belarus are still discriminated from access to education, with a mere 2% Romani finishing secondary school.


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Blogger of the Week: Gilad Lotan  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

An artist, programmer and technology explorer, Gilad Lotan has been giving Global Voices Online‘s readers routine insights into the Hebrew blogosphere since May 2007, covering Israel, where arguments get heated and emotions over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict run high. How does this 30 year old manage? How does he select the conversations he wants to cover and why? Also, what are his other interests?
To find out, let's ask Gilad the following questions:
How long have you been blogging and why did you join GVO?
I’ve been blogging since 2005. At first I mostly used my blog for documenting projects and school lectures. But what really got me writing was my Master’s thesis at ITP, New York University. I worked on creating a service that enables travelers to connect and take part in local initiatives around the world – Indigi-Net. It is a concept still in development, in which I truly believe. Travel Globally Act Locally is the one-liner and a substantial part of it deals with making local information that is usually unseen, visible. The big idea was to use the already existing network of backpackers who visit remote locations, usually armed with cameras and phones. I envision the output as a stream of constantly updated information coming from these regions. My school advisor put me in touch with Ethan Zuckerman, who led me to David Sasaki, who suggested that I cover Hebrew for GVO.
At first, the notion of writing to myself troubled me, but as I got into it, I realized that there are two participation layers to blogging. Just like any successful project or application, there exists an inherent (self)-benefit for a blogger. I write for my own use, to document projects, jot down technical specs and think out loud through concepts and ideas. But I also write to be part of a conversation. It is important for me to add my personal perspective to issues close at heart, even if it is read only by a handful of my friends.
What is the importance of your work at GVO?
The longer I am part of the amazing community at GVO, the more I realize its unquestionable importance. Getting local stories from people around the world is a difficult task. It is impressive to see how dedicated everyone is to the task at hand. GVO is building its credibility as a powerful portal, surfacing unique perspectives on newsworthy events around the world.
Even though Israel receives more than enough coverage by mainstream media outlets, I know for a fact that the majority of people have long ago stopped trying to understand this never-ending Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In many people’s eyes, Israel is a place of war, bombs and constant battles. True, the many conflicts of the past years tremendously affect the country, but there are many other issues, some extremely important, which are always overshadowed by the larger conflict. People do not realize the extent to which internal struggles are taking a huge toll within Israeli society. Some are about the definition of Israeli identity, clashing between orthodox and secular, its unique cultural diversity and immigration laws, in addition to a variety of issues that come up regarding minorities such as the Bedouins, Druze and Israeli Arabs.
The second reason for being part of the Global Voices community is obviously to compete against Yazan Badran for the ridiculously crazy hair award! Although I’ve still got some ways to go…
What’s your perception of the Hebrew blogosphere? What are its characteristics?
It always amazes me how many Israeli characteristics are amplified through the Hebrew blogosphere. When you walk down the streets of Tel-Aviv, people are noisy, extremely talkative and very social. Shyness is a vague concept. Sifting through Hebrew posts I am fascinated by how reactive people in the space are. Many comment on each other’s writings and many react to the ‘topic of the day’ chosen by the community. Hebrew news sites also have extremely high numbers of comments after each article. Many people end up reading only the comments, as discussions heat up and spiral off into other topics.
Another characteristic of this space are its extremely popular centralized blogging portals. Users host and update their posts within portals such as Israblog, Tapuz or café.themarker. The sites do a good job at building a strong sense of community around different topics of discussion. This is a true reflection of Israeli society – hanging out with the ‘hevre’, or ‘gang’ – and engaging in enthusiastic discussions. It is a common to hear one describe the average Israeli as someone who ‘always has something to say’. This definitely shows online!
What are the criteria you use to select translations and topics for your posts? Do your views and perceptions impact what you select?
It is difficult to please everyone. And most of my posts end up pissing off at least one of the readers who many times leaves heated comments. Most topics around the Middle East conflict are so sensitive, as both sides are substantially hurting. My goal is to represent different Hebrew voices on topics which are not at the mainstream media’s attention. Many times this is a challenging task, which requires hours of sifting and digging through posts. However, I am very careful with the extremist voices, which I personally think should not be amplified by GVO.
Other than blogging, what else have you been working on?
I am a new-media hacker/artist and my work explores the intersection of technology and art. I create screen-based visualizations as well as physical networked objects. A main theme that links many of my projects is news. I think a lot about finding ways to enhance viewer’s experiences when consuming “the news”; enhancing the emotional connection, and thus making it a memorable moment, in hope that something will stick.
Last year I built the News Wheels installation, inspired by Tibetan Prayer Wheels. Each wheel controls news images coming from a different continent. I wrote custom software that pulls these images into the projected space and activates them according to the wheel’s turn and speed. Turned out to be a very engaging display that gave viewers a horizontal-visual slice of world events at that moment. It was appealing to see images of news coming from Africa having the same stature as those coming from North America.
I like to focus on taking the interaction outside of the keyboard-mouse-screen paradigm. This wacky object is called imPulse – a heartbeat sharing device. It is an exploration of intimacy and presence through mediation. The imPulse pods allow their users to share heartbeats across a distance. The idea behind this project was to connect people from either side of a wall by amplifying and sharing an internal, private process; creating an intimate moment which can transverse through any physical obstacle. And sadly, we have more than enough walls around us.
Tell us about one of your interests.
I love traveling and have been fortunate to live in many parts of the world. I’ve spent about a third of my life in East Asia, living in Singapore, Taiwan and most recently Hong Kong and have visited most countries in the region and love immersing myself in new cultures, architecture and food. I am an avid photographer, and constantly update my flickr account (haven’t traveled enough recently, though…).

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Bolivia: Covering the Recall Referendum · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Mario Durán writes about his day covering the Recall Referendum in El Alto, Bolivia [es] for his citizen's newspaper Al Minuto where he took photos in 3 voting places, “I moved around on foot, bicycle, automobile, tricycle, what an odyssey.”


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China: Citizen reporter to be deported · Global Voices
John Kennedy

The day after live-vlogging the rare phenomenon that is a loud Free Tibet protest in the middle of Tiananmen Square, Noel ‘noneck’ Hidalgo has just tweeted that he is to be deported. Guess he wasn't using Tor.


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Georgia: Armenian Economic Concerns · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Armenian Economist comments on the military confrontation between Georgia and Russia noting that 96 percent of Armenia's trade goes via its northern neighbor. The blog says that Armenia will suffer as a result and concludes that it is now effectively blockaded on all sides.


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Georgia: Calmness in Gori · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Regional Reporters [RU] reports that calmness has descended on the Georgian town of Gori following bombing raids by Russian jets. However, the blog says that bread is in short supply and some shops have none at all.


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Georgia: Foreign Ministry Joins the Blogosphere · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Osteuropablog [German] reports that the Georgian Foreign Ministry appears to have joined the blogosphere with its MFA Georgia blog in English, since the Ministry website has gone down due to cyberattacks.


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Georgia: Impression from Tbilisi · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Gedanken über Estland [German] posted a translation of impressions by a Georgian blogger on the situation in the Georgian capital Tbilisi.


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Georgia: Kutaisi Protest · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Regional Reporters [RU] says that despite an air raid on Kutaisi which has meant local residents no longer gather in the city center, parks and markets of Georgia's second largest city, thousands turned out to attend a protest action against Russia's military action.


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Georgia: Peace Corps Evacuation · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

With the evacuation of foreign citizens in Georgia now underway, B & C Go To Georgia reports that Peace Corps Volunteers are being moved and might be evacuated to Armenia [Note: Some PCVs are already being evacuated]. Meanwhile, Sound and Fury says that it is concerned about the local girlfriend of a brother based in Telavi. The blog reminds its readers that Russian army is not renowned for its human rights record.


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Georgia: Protest Photos · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Regional Reporters [RU] posts photographs of protests in Tbilisi protesting Russian military action in Georgia. The photographs can be found in two separate posts here and here.


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Georgia, Russia: Blogger From Poti Recounts the Bombing · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

See Global Voices special coverage page on the South Ossetia crisis.
Here is LJ user pepsikolka‘s account (RUS) of what it felt like when the Russian planes were bombing Poti, her native city (more posts by this blogger have been translated here):
How it all was.
We worried much because of Ossetia, condemned the war and argued, and all of us, everyone who works [for our company], all those who surround me – no one has ever said that it was good that [Georgia] had entered Ossetia, everyone was sorry and upset.
In the evening, on the way back from work, some colleagues were saying that they were taking the children out of the city, what if they start bombing Poti, since it is, after all, a strategically important city, and I protested, saying that this will never happen, that if Russians do decide to help Ossetia (it wasn't yet clear at that point), they'll help the Ossetian people and that would be it.
Around midnight I heard some roaring, ran up to the window and saw shaft of fire, explosions at the port and heard a deafening noise. I didn't even have the time to get scared, I just knew that if a cistern with oil at the terminal gets hit, there'll be fire and an explosion, so I grabbed the phone, called Tengo, Vika answered, screaming – Samira, the port is being bombed. Mama with Alina and our niece were running aimlessly around the apartment, the explosions continued, and we ran downstairs. There were people in the street, they were crying and everyone looked terribly alarmed.
I don't really understand, but some explosions and gunfire sounds continued. Someone was running and screaming that [we should all] leave, as we are close to the port, and we all ran. Planes were flying, there were some lights, and it seemed as if they were being shot at from the ground, I don't know, there was roaring in the sky and one could see the light of either missiles or I don't know what.
We took shelter [inside one building], there were screams all around, women and children were crying.
There was no phone connection, and before that they had turned TV off.
We didn't understand anything about what happened.
Clearly, no one was expecting this.
We went to my sister, to the area that's far off from the port, Mos'ka was sobbing, very frightened, she was born in 1994 and didn't know how we were running in 1992, during the storming of the city of Poti by the Georgian army [and pushing out supporters of Zviad Gamsakhurdia], and her sister Katerina was being born, and we were asking the evacuating Russian army for help. Military doctors did end up delivering Kat'ka at the hospital.
But that was a long time ago.
Now Mos'ka was crying, and so were other children in the courtyard.
They were not bombing anymore, but people were still afraid to enter the buildings.
We began moving towards our house. Next to every building, there were crowds of people who were afraid to go up to their apartments.
A woman nearby was talking on the phone, and suddenly she gave out a heartrending scream, people grew loud, and I felt fear at a subconscious level. I told my sister not to speak Russian. [The woman] was in a state of temporary insanity, mama asked what happened in Georgian, they said that Senaki was bombed, there were the mobilized [men] there, and [the woman's] brother was killed.
We ran home, started calling [family and friends].
It turned out that a bomb hit our terminal, my colleague, a friend, who was working a night shift, got injured with shrapnel, broken ribs, his lungs and head were hurt, too. The reservoirs were not damaged, only the foam station, and a substation at the port. At the port, seven people were killed, I guess, and some were injured. The guy who worked for the Odessa-Poti ferry agent company was killed. They also brought the killed ones from Senaki, the reservists were let go from there, another of our colleagues was injured by the bomb.
People were so frightened that no one was discussing politics, everyone tried to get closer to one another, some people were crossing themselves and whispering prayers.
I was thinking only about one thing, that we should all stick together.
In the morning, we were running away again, because one of the bombs hadn't exploded and they brought in sappers to disarm it.
I was looking out of the window and saw people with bags who were running away, driving away in cars to villages, to Adzharia. My friend Lenka has rented a room in Kobuleti and is staying there with her family.
The city is empty, most stores are closed.
Tengo didn't leave anywhere, we run to see each other from time to time.
Poti hasn't been bombed anymore, we heard some gunshots yesterday, but don't know what it was. I can't even imagine what it's like for those poor people in Tskhinvali.
No one needs this damn war.
I'm not a politician and I don't have politicians in my circle who think that this is how it should be. I do not distinguish between Ossetians, Georgians and Russians. My friend's grandmother is Ossetian, we are Russian, but we have Georgian relatives, son-in-law is a Ukrainian, who the hell cares, the main thing is for this to be over as soon as possible and that no one else dies.
Those of you who write that here, you Georgians are getting what you deserve.
Deserve what? What for? Are we guilty of anything?
Are Georgians some monsters, don't they have the same blood running in their veins as anyone else? Old people are crying and it's unbearable to watch it. And no one has ever told me that all this is because of you, Russians. Not a single person, not once. I admit that there are people who may say this. But I haven't encountered them. Some people in LJ say that if you, the Kuznetsovs, are Russians, why don't you escape to Russia? When people were running away in the 1990s, we stayed, because there was uncertainty both here and there. My mama had chosen the uncertainty here. Because she was born and grew up here, we were all born here, sometime in the 1930s my grandmother, a child then, was put on a train and told that there was no hunger in Georgia, that there was [corn] there. It is our country now, we hold Georgian passports and we are the ordinary Georgian citizens. That's why I feel like tearing myself in two, when I stand on Georgian soil and the Russian planes are flying over me, and I can't imagine that these two countries are fighting against each other.


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Georgia, Russia: More Reports On the Conflict From Russophone Bloggers · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

See Global Voices special coverage page on the South Ossetia crisis.
Blogging from Poti, a Georgian port city whose “oil terminal, port facilities and a nearby railroad junction” were attacked by Russian fighter jets shortly after midnight Saturday, 27-year-old LJ user pepsikolka, an ethnic Russian citizen of Georgia, posted these hurried reports (RUS) on Aug. 8 and 9:
Aug. 8, 2008 – 1:23 PM
My colleagues have been drafted, some of them early in the morning, I'm shocked, can't understand what's going on and where to look for the truth – Georgian channels say one thing, Russian say something else, what's going to happen???
***
Aug. 9, 2008 – 12:50 AM:
The port has been bombed, we're sitting in the street, scared, they say some people have been wounded. Pray for us.
[…]
alchutoff:
[…] That's ours [Russians] who are bombing you, right?
pepsikolka:
Oh God. I don't know, but that's what they are saying.
***
Aug. 9, 2008 – 1:07 AM:
They are done bombing the port, we're out in the street, God save us.
***
Aug. 9, 2008 – 11:48 AM:
It was quiet during the night, but no one went to bed. There's no TV, we're reading the news from our phones. Scary. My friend, a colleague, has been wounded, and there are the dead ones, seven people from the port, they say, and there are also the dead among those mobilized after the bombing. I've no reason to lie, and those commenters who have doubts just don't know anything about me, I am Russian myself, and that's why I'm writing about facts here, so that you knew, we are alive, but scared. I want peace and this is all.
***
Aug. 9, 2008 – 2:20 PM:
[…] The city is nearly empty, I've stayed, [because] I've got my pets, and mama doesn't want to go anywhere. We are home. There's not a single drop of gasoline in the city. Panic. Ships are honking often. […]
[…]
antifalsehood:
[…] You were the ones who got yourselves involved in the slaughter, you trust your [Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili] and his circle, and here's what you get. Of course, I don't believe that everyone is as much of a bastard as your [Saakashvili] is, but you'll sure answer for the thousands of dead Ossetians. Watch your asses since you've got no souls anymore.
night_the_only:
Do you understand what you are saying and to whom?
pepsikolka:
I didn't want to get into it, as I feel I'll get a full load for it, but still, I'll say it – why do you assume that we support Saakashvili and do not condemn what's been done in Tskhinvali? Here're the people sitting here, some of them support [Saakashvili], others don't, but the bomb sees no difference between those who supported him and those who didn't.
(A more detailed post by LJ user pepsikolka, written on Aug. 10, will be translated later tonight.)
Oleg Panfilov – LJ user oleg_panfilov, director of the Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations – happened to be spending his vacation in Georgia. He posted this comment (RUS) about air strikes on the Georgian town of Gori, carried out by the Russian forces on Saturday morning:
A few hours after I had passed Gori, the “peacekeepers’ fighter jets” hit the town. One plane was downed – one pilot died, the other was arrested and is being interrogated.
It's hard to understand what they are trying to achieve by hitting [outside of] South Ossetia, but it looks like Russia is becoming more and more like the Soviet Union…
If someone in the Kremlin hopes that this will split Georgia and the Georgian society, they are deeply mistaken – all the opposition leaders announced their support for [Mikheil Saakashvili]. Even [Irakli Okruashvili], the [dismissed former] minister of defense, said he was ready to go to South Ossetia as an ordinary soldier.
[…]
There is no panic in Tbilisi, but many friends are calling me, incredulous – they [knew Russia was capable of a lot], but [to act like this]… […]
A day earlier, on Aug. 8, LJ user tanelorn asked a question (RUS) about the situation in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, in the tbiliseli LJ community, set up for “all those who consider [Tbilisi their native city]:
Are things quiet in Tbilisi? How does it all reflect on the life in the city?
Here are some responses:
le_petit_tank:
It was quiet during the day, although, of course, people do worry. They are listening to all newscasts on all available channels – Russian and Georgian. And in between the news, we were watching the opening of the Olympics. They say they were catching people right in the street and sending them to draft centers. But I won't risk asserting that this is actually so…
satis_fiction:
My brother called me and said that they'd announced mobilization. He went to sign up, there were many like him there, who came by themselves.
[…]
vtar_vtar:
I don't think it has [affected life in the city] in any way. Of course, it was somewhat strange to see how in small open-air cafes they were playing news on TV instead of [pop music] videos. And, of course, those families that had their boys drafted are worried. Otherwise, nothing special.
28-year-old Tbilisi-based LJ user shupaka wrote (RUS) about an unpleasant sense of déjà vu, brought about by the announcement of mobilization of the troops in Georgia; the current situation has reminded her of the conflicts that Georgia had found itself in in the early 1990s:
…and one more observation, totally silly: the word “mobilization” inspires the same disgust in me as it did when I was a child. Doesn't matter if you're 13 or 28.
North Ossetia-based LJ user alan-tskhurbaev wrote (RUS) about a mobilization of a different kind, supposedly taking place in South Ossetia now:
[North Ossetian] volunteers in [South Ossetia].
There are many of them. And I have to admit that I was mistaken, thinking that in case of a war only a few would show up. A friend has just returned from the border […], says many people are crowding there, arriving in their own cars. They are letting everyone in, at their own risk. At least one car goes through every few minutes, he says. He even said that some guys went there in their new BMW X5. Ossetians have not deserted each other. Turns out that in peaceful times we dislike each other, act arrogantly towards some, make fun of others. But as soon as a war begins (and Ossetians have probably lost count of all their wars by now) – we are together. […]
Elsewhere in the Russophone blogosphere, there seems to be plenty of confusion about what's actually going on in South Ossetia and Georgia now. Take, for example, this post from last night (RUS) in the ru_politics LJ community, by LJ user er_v, and some of the comments it generated:
Can anyone tell me whether there are Russian troops in [Tskhinvali] or not?
***
mr_quietest:
Judging by everything, no.
[…]
beekjuffer:
Judging by what?
deneb_altay:
There are, don't worry.
nurmanov:
[Judging] by many things: the lack of pictures, the demands of the Russian journalists to allow them safe passage out of Tskhinval…
[…]
er_v:
No, but if we took Tskhinvali, they would definitely show it on the news. […]
beekjuffer:
We already took it. Then Georgians took something, too. Then we were pushing them out. Judging by everything, it will continue like this for a long time.
[…]
elf_ociten:
And the Roksky Pass [on the Trans-Caucasus Highway] has been blown up, too :)
mr_quietest:
Not sure.
[…]
Regarding the alleged destruction of the Roksky Pass, LJ user som, a Russia-based Georgian, posted this item (RUS) last night:
URGENT
ON SATURDAY EVENING, AUGUST 9, GEORGIAN TROOPS BLEW UP ROKSKY PASS, THROUGH WHICH HUMAN PERSONNEL AND MILITARY EQUIPMENT WERE BEING SENT FROM RUSSIA TO THE FIGHTING ZONE IN TSKHINVALI REGION.
Some two hours and about 50 comments later, however, LJ user som admitted (RUS) that there had been no confirmation of this report and that this could be part of the “information war.”


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Georgia: Russian Roulette · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

With the Georgian government reporting that Tbilisi International Airport has been bombed and that 6,000 Russian troops have entered its territory along with a further 4,000 landing in Abkhazia, A Fistful of Euros says that Moscow was well prepared for a conflict over South Ossetia. Indeed, the blog asks, was Georgia played?


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Georgia: Stop Russian Aggression · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Writing on the newly renamed Peace in Georgia, Diana Chachua calls for immediate action from the international community. The blogger says that if the European Union and NATO tolerates Russian military action in Georgia “your country can be next.”


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Georgia: U.S. Complicity? · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

A Fistful of Euros comments on speculation that the United States might have effectively given Georgia the green light for military operations in South Ossetia. If so, the blog says, such a move was “one of the most indefensible things the Bush Administration has done in the last few years.”