January 12, 2024
The State Department and the press have been involved in numerous cases of deception and falsehoods. Certain instances, like The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that sparked the Vietnam War or the accusation of Saddam Hussein developing nuclear weapons that led to the Iraq war, had devastating consequences resulting in the loss of thousands of American lives. The recent depiction of the war in Georgia serves as another example of misrepresentation and a false narrative.
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Fifteen years ago, on August 8, 2008, Russia-Georgia war began. The portrayal of this conflict has drawn parallels to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels’ infamous quote, “If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth.”
Here are just a few examples:
“Fifteen years ago, Russia invaded the sovereign nation of Georgia and occupied 20 percent of its territory.” U.S. Department of State, August 7, 2023.
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“Russia falsely accused Georgia of committing “genocide” and “aggression against South Ossetia”. … It launched a full-scale land, air and sea invasion of Georgia …” Wikipedia.
“On August 8, 2008, Russian forces began the invasion of Georgia, marking the start of Europe’s first twenty-first century war.” Atlantic Council, August 7, 2121.
“During the war, the Kremlin established full control over the occupied Tskhinvali region (the so-called South Ossetia) and Abkhazia, which together constituted 20 percent of Georgian territory.” CSIS Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington DC.
The State Department and media have perpetuated a narrative that Russia invaded Georgia and annexed South Ossetia in Vladimir Putin’s bid to restore the Soviet Empire. Yet, a closer examination of historical context and factual evidence presents a contradictory perspective.
Image: The South Ossetian military in 2009 by Cominf.org. CC BY 3.0.
The conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia did not start with the ascendance of Vladimir Putin but had a history stretching for two centuries. South Ossetia became part of the Russian Empire in 1774. After the Bolshevik revolution in 1917 and the subsequent demise of the Russian empire, Georgia attempted to annex South Ossetia. In May 1920, Georgia attacked South Ossetia indiscriminately, killing men, women, and children, causing a flood of refugees.
Incidentally, in 2020, the people of South Ossetia commemorated the 100th anniversary of the atrocities perpetrated by Georgians, which Ossetians call genocide. In April 1922, after the Bolsheviks took power in Georgia, Stalin, who was Georgian, put South Ossetia under the jurisdiction of Georgia.
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In April 1991, Georgia declared its independence. It is important to point out that, when Georgia declared independence from the Soviet Union, it retained control over the territories that had been incorporated into Georgia by the Bolsheviks without consulting the population residing in those areas, which were predominantly non-Georgian. Indeed, it never relinquished its claims on South Ossetia and Abkhazia, a little enclave incorporated into Georgia.
In response, South Ossetia and Abkhazia asserted their independence and declared themselves as separate republics in 1992. Therefore, the U.S. Department of State and CSIS’ statements that Russia took “20 percent of Georgian territory” are false. In 2008, those territories were not part of Georgia.
The hostilities resumed almost immediately. In 1992, after another war, Moscow stepped in and forced negotiations. During the talks, the parties agreed to cease fighting. Joint Control Commission for Georgian-Ossetian Conflict Resolution was set up, and the Russian peacekeeping force was authorized.
The situation seemed under control for the next sixteen years, and the border was relatively quiet. However, by the summer of 2008, the situation was becoming more and more volatile. Encouraged by NATO’s pronouncements and private assurances that Georgia would soon become a NATO member and be protected from Russia, the president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, became belligerent, issuing threats toward South Ossetia and personal insults in Putin’s address.
On August 8, 2008, ignoring multiple warnings from Moscow that concentrated sizable military force in the region to deter the possible aggression, Georgia nevertheless launched a massive, unprovoked attack with tanks and artillery on South Ossetia. As a result of the brutal assault, 48 Russian servicemen were killed, including ten peacekeepers. Moscow ordered a counterattack that liberated South Ossetia, and the Russian troops moved into Georgia all the way to Gori, the birthplace of Stalin. After briefly occupying part of Georgia, the Russians withdrew but stayed as protectors in South Ossetia.
The U.S. hastily declared this a Russian war of aggression.
However, the subsequent EU investigation concluded that it was, in fact, Georgia that launched an assault on South Ossetia and blamed Georgian President Saakashvili for starting the war “through a penchant for acting in the heat of the moment.”
“In the Mission’s view, it was Georgia which triggered off the war when it attacked Tskhinvali (in South Ossetia) with heavy artillery on the night of 7 to 8 August 2008,” concluded Swiss diplomat Heidi Tagliavini, who led the investigation.
Although the report contained some boilerplate accusations against Russia, Tagliavini said: “None of the explanations given by the Georgian authorities in order to provide some form of legal justification for the attack lend it a valid explanation.” “In particular, there was no massive Russian military invasion under way.” Saakashvili had said Georgia was responding to an invasion by Russian forces when it attacked breakaway South Ossetia, but the report found no evidence of this.
Therefore, the Atlantic Council’s conclusion that the “Russian forces began the invasion of Georgia” is false. Wikipedia’s description of the events as “It (Russia) launched a full-scale land, air and sea invasion of Georgia” is also wrong.
Those accusing Russia of attacking Georgia failed to explain its objective. Russia did not want to occupy Georgia; it withdrew its army five days later. And if it wanted to incorporate South Ossetia, there was no reason to attack Georgia since South Ossetia was not part of Georgia at the time, and a Russian military contingent was already stationed there.
The evidence and common sense show that Georgia was the evil party in this conflict. Unfortunately, when it comes to politics, the more determined and vocal side usually dominates the news and formulates a political narrative regardless of the facts and validity of the arguments. So, it should be no surprise that the State Department and the media ignore the inconvenient truth of the EU investigation and continue proliferating falsehood.
In a rare admission, the Christian Science Monitor wrote, “…. by dispatching his own ill-prepared military to resolve a secessionist dispute by force, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has managed to lead his country down the path of a disastrous and ultimately self-defeating war.“
In the aftermath of the war, Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
This is an infrequent occasion when common sense eventually prevails, and justice is served. The nut Saakashvili is serving time in Georgia’s jail, and there are no more hostilities between Georgia and South Ossetia. The relations between Georgia and Russia, despite constant pressure from NATO and incitements from Ukraine, are transitioning gradually from confrontation towards a path of peace and mutual prosperity. The Visa regime between the two countries has been waived, and Georgian vines, fruits, and vegetables are back on the shelves of Moscow supermarkets. Georgian Airways made arrangements with the Russian Aeroflot to help Russians circumvent the sanctions and facilitate transit of Russian travelers to various destinations across Europe, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and beyond. The Russians fly to Tbilisi, and Georgian Airways takes them to various destinations.
Now, it is time to separate facts from falsehoods.
Did Russia invade Georgia in 2008? Yes, it is a fact.
Was Russia an aggressor? No, it is not a fact.
Did Saakashvili start the war “through a penchant for acting in the heat of the moment?” Yes, it is a fact.
Was the war Vladimir Putin’s bid to restore the Soviet Empire? No, it is not a fact.
Have the American people been misled by the U.S. Government and the press believing in Russia’s aggression against Georgia? Yes, it is a fact.
Has Russia contributed to peace in the region? Yes, it is a fact.
Alexander G. Markovsky is a senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research, a think tank that examines national security, energy, risk analysis, and other public policy issues. He is the author of Anatomy of a Bolshevik and Liberal Bolshevism: America Did Not Defeat Communism, She Adopted It. Mr. Markovsky is the owner and CEO of Litwin Management Services, LLC. He can be reached at alexander.g.markovsky@gmai.com
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