Russia has been exercising its might over Georgia for the past week. The Americans have assisted the Georgian military’s return from fighting in Iraq, so they can defend themselves at home. It’s easy for us to look at Russia as the bad guys, because as Americans, we’re used to it. But in this conflict, no one is innocent.

 

When the battle includes ethnic cleansing, there is usually one only one party doing the cleansing. In this case, Russia is accusing Georgia of it, Georgia is accusing Russia of it, and people are dying en masse.

Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s ambassador to NATO, said the Georgian forces committed genocide and ethnic cleansing in South Ossetia.

Georgia’s National Security Council accused Russian troops on Saturday of conducting “ethnic cleansing” in South Ossetia.

So who’s dying? Who are these South Ossetians? They are a mix of Ossetians and Georgians. Which means mostly Christian, with some Islamic influence. According to Wikipedia:

The Ossetians are an Iranic ethnic group indigenous to Ossetia, a region that spans the Caucasus Mountains. They are of the Causasian race. The Ossetians mostly populate North Ossetia-Alania in Russia, and South Ossetia a large part of which is now de facto independent but internationally recognised as part of Georgia. They speak Ossetic, an Indo-European language of the Iranian branch. The Ossetians are mostly Christian with large Muslim minority.

 

Georgia is a breakaway former part of Russia. South Ossetia is an independent part of Georgia. Georgia wishes to be part of NATO, and is backed by the USA on its bid. Russia is trying to block the bid and flex its muscle on the global stage. And all of them – with the exception of the Americans – are slaughtering these South Ossetians in the process.