Let's start with the geography.
Black Sea
Caucasus
Caspian Sea
The oil in the Caspian basin is estimated to be worth over US $12 trillion. The sudden collapse of the USSR and subsequent opening of the region has led to an intense investment and development scramble by international oil companies.
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Much controversy currently exists over the proposed Trans-Caspian oil and gas pipelines. These projects would allow western markets easier access to Kazakh oil, and potentially Uzbek and Turkmen gas as well. The United States has given its support for the pipelines. Russia officially opposes the project on environmental grounds. Analysts note that the pipelines would bypass Russia completely, thereby denying the country valuable transit fees, as well as destroying its current monopoly on westward-bound hydrocarbon exports from the region. Recently both Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have expressed their support for the Trans-Caspian Pipeline.
Caspian Sea Region: Regional Conflicts
July 2002
Oil and prestige fuel the 'New Cold War'
But Russia's decision to invade has little to do with the welfare of South Ossetia's 70,000 inhabitants.
In fact, it is a powerplay in what many are now calling the New Cold War.
It was appropriate that this struggle should flare to life in the Caucasus, because this region of bubbling ethnic tensions is really home to a battle not for ideology, but for oil.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, or BTC, is lauded as a miracle of modern engineering. Costing £2bn, it will eventually carry a million barrels of oil a day across more than a thousand miles of some of the world's most inhospitable terrain.
It is also the only pipeline linking Central Asia's vast oil and gas fields – second only to the Middle East's in size – to the West. All other pipes pass through Russia or Iran, putting western customers at the mercy of their regimes.
South Ossetia: Oil and nationalism - a troubled history
When Mikheil Saakashvili, below, ousted Mr Shevardnadze in the 2003 Rose Revolution, he vowed to bring South Ossetia and another breakaway region, Abkhazia, back under Tbilisi's control.
He accuses Russia of sending cash and weapons to separatists in both regions, to ensure continued Kremlin influence in the oil-rich Caucasus – the BTC pipeline carrying oil from Azerbaijan to Turkey is routed through Georgia – and to undermine Georgia's bid to join Nato.
Russia has given passports to the vast majority of South Ossetians and Abkhazians, and pledges to defend its citizens in those provinces. Many South Ossetians say they expect other Caucasian peoples to support their fight against Georgia, and reports are emerging of volunteers heading for the region from Abkhazia and North Ossetia.
Georgia calls for ceasefire in S. Ossetia fighting
- Georgia calls for ceasefire
- Bush warns of 'dangerous escalation' in conflict
- Medvedev says Georgians must withdraw
- Abkhazian forces move against Georgia
Georgia to US: Airlift Our Troops From Iraq
The Georgian government has requested the U.S. government airlift roughly 2,000 Georgian soldiers out of Iraq and back to defend their homeland, an intelligence officer tells ABC News.
The intelligence official asked not be identified because he is not authorized to speak about the diplomatic situation.
The immediacy of the situation for the Georgians is this: They are significantly overpowered by the Russian military and there is fear the Georgians can be defeated as soon as this weekend.
Russian jets attack Georgian city as battles rage
Hundreds dead in South Ossetia; Bush calls Medvedev, Saakashvili
Putin said the government was ready to earmark up to $425 million for aid to the region, Russian news agencies said. Medvedev said he was ordering the military prosecutor to document crimes against civilians in South Ossetia.
Russia also laid much of the responsibility for ending the fighting on Washington, which has trained Georgian troops. Washington, in turned, blamed Russia.
“We have urged an immediate halt to the violence and a stand-down by all troops. We call for an end to the Russian bombings, and a return by the parties to the status quo,” Bush said in the statement.
Georgia move fails to halt raids
Russia has continued air raids deep inside Georgia, after it rejected Tbilisi's announcement that it had called a ceasefire and wanted talks.
Jets bombed targets near Tbilisi, including the airport, and Russia said its warships had sunk a Georgian boat that approached and tried to attack.
Russia earlier took control of the breakaway region of South Ossetia, forcing Georgian troops to withdraw.
Thousands of civilians have fled - it is not clear how many have been killed.
Georgia Wants U.S. to Restrain Russia
Five days after Georgian troops stormed into South Ossetia to reclaim control of the tiny breakaway territory, they were in retreat on Sunday after being battered by Russian forces. But the Russians have not confined themselves to pushing Georgian forces out of South Ossetia, and ongoing Russian attacks have hit close to the Georgian capital and along its coastline. Hundreds of South Ossetians are dead and thousands have fled their homes, some sheltering in decrepit schools with no electricity or water. Georgia is a close ally of the U.S. and has a large troop contingent in Iraq. Its government is hoping that President Bush and other Western leaders will lean on Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to call off his troops. But that hope might be in vain, given the limits of Western leverage over Moscow, and the need for Russian cooperation on Iran. Georgia's Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili spoke to TIME about her country's calamitous week and what comes next...
Georgian official: This is our Tisha B'Av
This isn’t some local fight between the separatist of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, this is a war between Russia and Georgia," head of the Georgian Parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Lasha Zhvania, said Sunday.
In a telephone interview with Ynet, Zhvania, whose tenure as the Georgian ambassador to Israel ended a mere month ago, said that the Russian military presence in South Ossetia was massive: "(Russia) sent 3,000 tanks and an infantry force of 10,000 men into South Ossetia. Today isn't just the Jews' Tisha B'Av, it’s a Tisha B'av for Georgia as well."
Obama, McCain urge restraint in Georgia
"For many years, I have warned against Russian actions that undermine the sovereignty of its neighbors," McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, said Saturday. "Unfortunately, we have seen in recent days Russia demonstrate that these concerns were well-founded."
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Obama, who also talked to Saakashvili, said that direct talks between Russia and Georgia are necessary.
"Diplomats at the highest levels from the United States, the European Union and the United Nations must become directly involved in mediating this military conflict and beginning a process to resolve the political disputes over the territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia," he said. "A genuinely neutral mediator -- not the Russian government -- must begin a process of negotiations immediately."
The Bush Administration isn't going to do anything, and neither would McCain. And what Obama would do will wind up being worse than doing nothing.
On the border: Georgian troops retreat, civilians flee as Russian Army advances
Georgian troops were retreating under shellfire here today as the Russian military continued to press forward and take full control of South Ossetia.
Clouds of smoke rose up as artillery fire exploded in fields less than half a mile from the bridge marking South Ossetia’s border with Georgia. A group of Georgian soldiers hastily abandoned their truck after its wheels were shot out by a sniper and crossed the border on foot.
At a base next to the bridge, Russian peacekeepers appeared confident that they would soon be joined by comrades from the regular army advancing through South Ossetia from the north.
“The Georgians have left already and we are expecting the Russian side to come down the road soon. We are operating normally, nobody has disturbed us at all,” said Sadiq Narsudinov, one of the peacekeeping contingent. A Russian flag fluttered over the compound.
"Peacekeepers", my shiny white rear.
RAPING GEORGIA
RUSSIA INVADES AN AMERICAN ALLY
What just happened? The Kremlin decided it was time to act, since Georgia was only growing stronger under its democratically elected government. Although NATO has been hemming and hawing about admitting Georgia, the Russians didn't want to take any chances. (Just last month, 1,000 US troops were in Georgia for an exercise.)
Calculating that the media and world leaders would be partying in Beijing, the Russians ordered North Ossetian militiamen, backed by Russian "peacekeepers" and mercenaries, to provoke the Georgians earlier this month.
Weary of the Russian presence on their soil, the Georgians took the bait. President Mikheil Saakashvili ordered his US-trained military to respond.
That was the excuse the Kremlin wanted. Immediately, a tank brigade from Russia's 58th Army (the butchers of Chechnya) crossed the international border into Poland - sorry, I meant Georgia.
Russia wants Georgian leader to step down, US says
New York - Moscow wants Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili to resign, the United States told the UN Security Council as it met Sunday to review the growing conflict in Georgia.
US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad told the council in an open meeting that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had discussed the conflict with his US counterpart, Condoleezza Rice, and demanded the resignation of Saakashvili, apparently as part of a settlement of the flare-up in fighting that began on Thursday.
"Flare-up of fighting"? Looks like war to me.
Russia says it is ready to negotiate with Georgia
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia declared itself ready to make peace with Georgia and U.N. officials confirmed Sunday that Georgia is prepared to negotiate with Russia by withdrawing troops from the breakaway province of South Ossetia and creating a safe travel zone.
The United Nations Security Council was meeting Sunday morning for the fourth time in as many days trying to resolve a conflict that began when U.S.-allied Georgia tried to control South Ossetia then said its troops had retreated in the face of Russia's tanks and aircraft.
Russia is "ready to put an end to the war," said Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who also accused the U.N. secretary-general's office of taking Georgia's side.
However, Russia also has deployed a naval squadron off the coast of Abkhazia, another separatist region in Georgia, and its aircraft bombed the outskirts of Tblisi, the Georgian capital.
Yippee, Iran wants to help!
Iran offers 'any help' in S.Ossetia crisis
TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran, watching conflict in the Caucasus unfold virtually on its doorstep, said Saturday it was "ready to offer any help" to end the crisis in South Ossetia.
"The Islamic republic voices concern over the military conflicts in South Ossetia that have led to the killing of defenceless people and calls for an immediate halt to the clashes," foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said.
"Iran is ready to offer any help ... under its principal policies of contributing to the establishment of peace and stability in the region," added Ghashghavi, quoted by the Iranian student news agency ISNA.
We all know how Iran likes to ensure peace and stability.
Turkey agrees to supply Georgia electricity
ANKARA, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Turkey has agreed to a request from neighbour Georgia to supply the country with electricity amid the conflict in the breakaway South Ossetia region, a senior Turkish Energy Ministry source told Reuters on Friday.
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Under an agreement, Turkey was receiving electricity from Georgia until last night. But after the latest developments Georgia requested 30-40 MW (megawatts) of electricity," the ministry source said.
"We gave a positive response," he said.
White House: Russia risking relations with US
The White House is warning Russia to halt its attacks on Georgia or risk "significant" and enduring damage to its relationship with the United States.
Rice: Israel can decide for itself on Iran
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended Israel's right to make its own decision about whether it takes military action against Iran, in an interview released over the weekend.
"We don't say yes or no to Israeli military operations. Israel is a sovereign country," she said in response to a question from The Politico Web site as to whether she was concerned that America would be blamed in the case of an IDF attack on the Islamic Republic.
Her statements come amid speculation that Washington has warned Jerusalem not to attack Iran and media reports that the US told Israel it doesn't have the green light to use Iraqi airspace for any such attack.
Translation: WhenTSHTF, we're gonna drop Israel like a rock.
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