The Georgian South Ossetia conflict

The Players
Georgia
Russia
South Ossetia
The World
The drama: The majority of the Ossetes living south of the main Caucasus range in Georgia wish to unite with the Ossetes living to the north, in an autonomous republic of the Russian Federation; and the Georgians, regarding South Ossetia as both a legal and an historic part of their national territory, refuse to accept this.
Russia's reaction
Taken from: Anatol Lieven New America Foundation The Times (London) August 11, 2008)
With absolute determination not to be defeated by Georgia and not to suffer the humiliation of having to abandon Russia’s South Ossete client state, with everything that this would mean for Russian prestige in other areas. Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin made it clear again and again that if Georgia attacked South Ossetia, Russia would fight. Georgian advocates in the West claimed that Moscow was only bluffing.
It wasn’t.
Russia is a county that reacts out of fear..It is not paranoia based...Fact is Russia has been invaded, occupied, re invented, so often it's no wonder she chooses alienation and bullyboyism as a means of protection..
Russia still seeks security in an old world mentality...Heavy governmental control within her borders and an obsessive compulsive desire to control those countries on her borders as added security measures.

South Ossetia: Can't get no satisfaction from the 'less than' attitude of Georgia..No doubt part of the feelings of alienation and lack of recognition South Ossetia is experiencing from Georgia is a result of the 'rift' of idealism between the to...
However, it seems apparent Georgia should change their tactics...There is still time for Georgia to help their own cause by showing them selves part of the global 'political right' in promoting diversity in their own back yard..
Unfortunately their recent course of action only views them to the world as a reflection of the Russian Federation's answer to unresolved territorial issues...
I wonder if Georgia is 'big' enough to publicly apologize for an hot headed decision and offer to begin serious peace talks with South Osstia with the intent of healing new and old wounds?...Promoting Christianity(to put in a very broad term) may well be the answer...

Georgia: South Ossetia lies smack in the middle of two main border crossings and trade roads to other countries...Plus there are two oil pipelines running through Georgia that 'infiltrators' from the north threaten to use as political terrorism to give Russia an excuse to invade Georgia under guise of protecting the world oil market..

Every body knows there is nothing worst than a paranoid Russia....
My recommendation to leaders of the free world is take away Russia's ability to manipulate...Don't 'chastise'...the Russian government...It will only make the bear 'grumpy'....The 'people' of Russia need to be considered here...The response of the free world must be one of action that is like a parent to a child...Take away the toys until it can behave it's self...My grave concern is that what we do to the Russian government, we do to the Russian people as well..
My recommendations are at the bottom of this article:

Ossetian's History:
Pushed out of their medieval homeland in what is present day Russia, Ossetians took refuge in Georgia forming three distinct territorial entities..Digor in the west came under the influence of the neighboring Kabard people, who introduced Islam...
Tuallag in the South became South Ossetia, part of historical Georgian principality of Samachablo where Ossetians found refuge from Mongol invaders..
Iron in the north became North Ossetia under Russian rule from 1767..
Is it just me or do Ossetians owe Georgia some 'respect' for saving their ass from the Mongolians?
Modern day South Ossetia was "annexed" by Russia in 1801 including Georgia proper...

'Colonialism'...In my humble opinion a true evil concept and the root of territorial conflict through out the world yesterday, today, tomorrow...It is the 'stuff' WAR is made of...
Tensions in the region began to rise amid rising nationalism among both Georgians and Ossetians in 1989.

'Nationalism'...Another pet peeve of mine..Hell bent on the separation and alienation of peoples around the globe...
Prior to this, the two communities had been living in peace with each other except for the episode in 1920.(Ossetian and Georgian Bolsheviks going at it.) Both ethnicities have had a high level of interaction and high rates of intermarriages.
South Ossetia Economy
Following a war with Georgia in the 1990s, South Ossetia has struggled economically. Employment and supplies are scarce. Additionally, Georgia cut off supplies of electricity to the region, which forced the South Ossetian government to run an electric cable through North Ossetia. The majority of the population survives on subsistence farming. Virtually the only significant economic asset that South Ossetia possesses is control of the Roki Tunnel that links Russia and Georgia, from which the South Ossetian government reportedly obtains as much as a third of its budget by levying customs duties on freight traffic. The separatist officials admitted that Tskhinvali received more than 60 percent of its 2006 budget revenue directly from the Russian government. In late 2006, a large international counterfeiting operation stretching from South Ossetia was revealed by U.S. Secret Service and Georgian police..

My take: Georgia's decision to attack South Ossetia is so typical 'Russian' in mentality...With George W. Bush lobbying to include Georgia and the Ukraine into NATO it seems the decision to attack a weaker foe (leaving Russian Federation manipulation tactics out of the mix)...reflects immaturity..
How difficult would it be for Georgia to try 'turning on the love light' for those South Ossetians over there?..
What exactly does Georgia have to lose by practicing a ethic of compromise and tolerance to the language and culture of South Ossetians?

Suggestions for a peaceful resolve: South Ossetia is a wasteland...It's a nightmare of exploited natural resources and soil contamination..Hazardous waste dumps, aging nuclear sites left from the Soviet 'industrial complex' that are categorized as "still generating pollution"...A major risk to local water supplies..Deforestation, overgrazed pasture lands...The area is isolated and suffers from a weak economy..(resource: http://www.americanresource.edu/ted/ice/ossetia.htm )
Create settlement areas in North Ossetia..Immigrate the South Ossetian people to North Ossetia..This is a population of approximately 70,000. The coordination and operation of such a project should be done through a neutral humanitarian entity...Cost of this project should be shared by the entire Global community that desire the end of conflicts such as this around the world...Georgia and Russia should equally participate in this funding effort..
Allow Georgia to retain South Ossetia as their land..However, both Georgia and Russia will agree to South Ossetia as a neutral zone and allow a United Nations peace keeping force to govern the area..This will create a buffer between the two countries and a security measure between the two countries...Roads will remain open to traffic however, traffic will be subject to search, and seizure, and due process per the specific governing laws created for this 'neutral zone' to be an effective deterrent to violence...
The environmental issues should be addressed and steps taken heal the land..Again another project funded by the Global community with interests in protection and recovery of the environment.
If either Russia or Georgia for that matter should elect to dismiss a peaceful resovle to the conflict then economic sanctions should be explored at that time..