September 02, 2008

Georgian enclaves are not Bangladesh!

In Pravda.ru Babu G. Ranganathan draws an analogy of South Ossetia and Abkhazia's independence from Georgia as declared by Russia with the involvement of India in the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.

I wish things were as simple as that. The resentments started in 1952 when Bengalis wanted to protect their mother tongue. Bangladesh was wanting autonomy since long. We had a great leader who was going to be Pakistan's head of government according to the election results but was denied. Sheikh Mujib almost declared the independence (on the 7th of March, 1971) almost 9 months before the India-Pakistan officially engaged in the war. Bangladeshi freedom fighters fought the war for eight and a half months before India joined the full fledged war with Pakistan.

Georgia's case is different as with every such cases including Kashmir if you compare. Its true that Shakashvili wanted to teach the South Ossetian insurgency a lesson and can be scolded for that but Russia took over the situation and threatened Georgia with its power by shelling and bombing. The innocent civilians were both parties least priorities.

Now the question should be asked what does the South Ossetians want? Do they want to be seperate or merge with Russia or remain with Georgia? I don't even know who their leader is! Who is deciding things for them, the Russians?

The Global Voices special page gives you a real insight into the effected people of the region, not what the Western or the Russian media provides you (two extreme points of view).

Is there really that much hatred present for an ethnic cleansing and genocide as claimed by Russia? Read how the non-friction inter-ethnic relationships between Russians and Georgians are. This might be an answer:
It is very clear. In the quarrel with the Western countries Russia is using a concept and a clear picture which are known to them. A mention of Srebrenica is a slap to Dutchmans and Gavrilo Princip is mentioned in the context of how Englishmen think and talk about him: the fool that pulled them into an expensive and unnecessary war. Reading English reactions, this reminder is effective.
And the irony pointed out by a commenter in a Serbian blog:
I think that Russia proved it is not different from the West when its interest is in question. […] Just in this way Russia indirectly supports the position of the West about Kosovo.
War is a bad Omen, it makes people suffer and creates hatred and acrimony. The present situation in the effected region is nothing else but a case of power struggle and showdown.

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