http://www.counterpunch.org/chomsky09112008.html

CounterPunch September 11, 2008

Aghast at the atrocities committed by US forces invading the Philippines, and the rhetorical flights about liberation and noble intent that routinely accompany crimes of state, Mark Twain threw up his hands at his inability to wield his formidable weapon of satire. The immediate object of his frustration was the renowned General Funston. “No satire of Funston could reach perfection,” Twain lamented, “because Funston occupies that summit himself… [he is] satire incarnated.” (Keep reading…)

Aug 27, 2008 Saul Landau’s ZSpace Page

Stupid leaders interpret words to satisfy their political desires. They miss vital nuances in dangerous international relations. On August 7, Mikheil Saakashvili ordered Georgia’s armed forces to invade South Ossetia, a secessionist province bordering Russia. In so doing, he joined other heads of state who won dunce caps with disastrous decisions based on failure to understand the obvious. (Keep reading…)

Winnipeg Free Press August 19

NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a remarkable case of institutional survival in the face of changing circumstances. It was created in 1949 to protect Western Europe from the Soviet threat, and in 1989 the Soviet threat vanished. Yet NATO not only survived the collapse of the Soviet Union but expanded, taking in all the former satellite states of Eastern Europe and even the Baltic republics that had been part of the Russian empire for more than 200 years. But the Georgian debacle could break NATO. (Keep reading…)

Special to Canadian Dimension August 18, 2008

Fairytales are wonderful things – except when they are employed by adults to supplant a complex reality. Or, indeed, to turn that reality on its head. Nevertheless, it is precisely the word ‘fairytale’ that best describes the West’s reaction to the outbreak of hostilities in Georgia as even a cursory look at these events, and at the recent historical and political context of Eurasia, make abundantly clear. (Keep reading…)

12 August, 2008 Countercurrents.org http://www.countercurrents.org/berg120808.htm

In a nutshell the role of Georgia for the West is to allow it to access Caspian basin energy while bypassing Russia and Iran. Something that quite simply can’t be done without Georgia’s acquiescence. (Keep reading…)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(((( T h e B u l l e t ))))~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Socialist Project e-bulletin …. No. 131 …. August 11, 2008 _____________________________________________________________ (Keep reading…)