a pawn in their game

For two weeks, a war has been going on in the Caucasus. Although a ceasefire was signed that both parties in the conflict, Russia and Georgia, claim to abide by, the conflict is still smoldering, to say the least. Despite Olypics coverage wherever you look, I couldn't help reading about it, and I can't keep myself from thinking about it.

Much has been written about this little war, about the Georgians' foolish assault on Southern Ossetia and about the Russians' brazen foray into an independent country. The Russian never claimed to be in it for the flowers. Maybe that's why the US reacted so allergically against this invasion.

As I read Western news only, mostly German and English, some American as well, my understanding of the situation is biased. I think the Russians should retreat to their barracks in Novosibirsk or wherever they came from and resume pumping oil and gas for the glorious Western democracies.

That this is not the entire pictures is clear to me. I was happy when I came across one dissenting opinion. Gabor Steingart, the Spiegel's Washington correspondent, calls Georgia Russia's Cuba, a neighboring country threatening to become the stepping stone for an opposing power. If that doesn't sound familiar, you should read your history books and pay special attention to the chapter about 1962, if there is such a thing. We all know what has happened to Cuba in the intervening 45 years.

I'm not saying that Russia is right on Georgia any more than the West is. But it's screaming obvious that, never mind the criminally incompetent bungling by its president, Georgia is only a pawn in their game, to speak with my favorite philosopher. The little country will suffer for the power games of the big guys, but they mustn't complain too loudly for they brought the misery upon themselves by thinking of themselves as more than, again, pawns in a game.