What way forward after the Georgia crisis? Continue reading
August 19, 2008
by Nosemonkey
8 Comments
Tag Archives: Russia
August 18, 2008
by Nosemonkey
6 Comments
Georgia, Russia, the EU and future UK foreign policy
Yesterday’s Observer was on really rather good form, with a decent long article amply demonstrating the human cost – easy to forget when trying to work out the wider geopolitical remifications: “They sifted out villagers with Georgian surnames, immediately executing … Continue reading
August 16, 2008
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
Oil and gas pipelines in the Caucasus
Over the last few days, my post linking the Georgia / Russia dispute over South Ossetia into the politics of energy supply has received a sizable amount of traffic, largely thanks to the funky pipeline maps I dug out. As … Continue reading
August 15, 2008
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
Strong words from the US, but it’s up to the EU – for now
From the press conference held by Condoleezza Rice this afternoon on the South Ossetia situation: “the way that Russia has brutally pushed this military operation well beyond the bounds of anything that might have related to South Ossetia calls into … Continue reading
August 15, 2008
by Nosemonkey
12 Comments
Russia, Georgia, the former USSR and fear
As we all try to work out what Russia thought she was doing by invading Georgia, another question springs to mind: What is Russia for? Continue reading
August 13, 2008
by Nosemonkey
10 Comments
The EU’s Caucasion lessons
So, despite the apparent truce following Moscow’s insanely over-the-top response to Georgia’s silly South Ossetian venture, it sounds like Russia’s still “peacekeeping” in Georgian territory. This is otherwise known as “invading a sovereign nation just for the hell of it”. … Continue reading
August 11, 2008
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
South Ossetia: Still simmering
So it seems that Georgia just doesn’t know when she’s beat – although quite what the real situation is there nobody seems to know, as there’s so much disinformation around. Who’s at fault here – Russia or Georgia? The answer’s … Continue reading
August 10, 2008
by Nosemonkey
19 Comments
Georgia: Why?
So, now that Georgia seems to have withdrawn from South Ossetia in the face of the overwhelming force of Russia’s displeasure, the question has to be asked: how on earth did they think they were going to be able to … Continue reading
August 9, 2008
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
South Ossetia: The bear strikes back
The South Ossetia crisis really is kicking off – is this going to become another Chechnya? Russia’s now apparently launching airstrikes on targets inside Georgia itself (the photo to the left being of Gori, the town where Stalin was born, … Continue reading
August 4, 2008
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
The Russian Ozymandias
Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn, literary giant of the Soviet era, is dead. His final masterpiece remains unfinished. Yet perhaps this is for the best… Continue reading
July 16, 2008
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Tories and the EU, trade talks, Russian threats
Tories and the EU, trade talks, Russian threats
Three things that have caught my eye this morning, in ascending order of importance: 1) Following a fun article on the impact a Tory victory in the next UK general election may have on the EU in this week’s Economist, … Continue reading
July 12, 2008
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
More Russian energy blackmail
I told you that Ukraine was just a warning shot… Looks like the Czech Republic’s decision to host that US missile shield has really ticked off the Kremlin. Because now the flow of oil from Russia appears to be slowing … Continue reading
April 4, 2008
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
NATO, Russia and Europe
The NATO summit is the perfect illustration of the fraught relations of Russia and the West, but it’s also just a sideshow… Continue reading
March 4, 2008
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on One day since Medvedev’s election…
One day since Medvedev’s election…
…and Russia’s energy blackmail steps up once again, with Ukraine’s gas supplies being cut by a quarter by Gazprom. The energy giant headed by, erm… one Dmitry Medvedev. Yay!