Azi chiar m-am enervat destul de mult incat sa scriu in romana pe blog [cu care ocazie voi afla si raspunsul la comment-ul lui calamaru]. Ma trezesc dupa prima noapte dormita semi-decent de o saptamana incoace, ma intind si rup tzipla prestigioasei reviste Foreign Policy - editia romana. Sunt relaxat, binedispus, benevolent. Douazeci de minute mai tarziu, ziua mea era deja compromisa. Continue Reading »
17 May 2008 Skybar One 5 comments
Frozen Conflicts, Georgian Politics, Russia
For those who hoped that the inauguration of the new President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, will bring about a liberal thaw, I have bad news: according to The Economist, Medved, in Russian, means bear. Which is exactly how Russia has been acting in the past few weeks. As anticipated, a string of events, such as Kosovo’s independence, Georgia and Ukraine’s bid to join NATO, coupled with the power transition at the Kremlin, all conspired to boost the aggressiveness of Russia’s foreign policies.
Take, for instance the 9 May military parade in Moscow, the first one of its sort since the fall of the Soviet Union, timed to show the West that Russia is still serious about regaining its erstwhile power, and that just because it appointed [sic!] a supposedly liberal President, it isn’t about to go soft where it matters most.
In other words, the bear is still alive and kicking. Kicking hard, that is, especially in the region known as ‘Russia’s soft under belly’, i.e., the South Caucasus. Russia has recently taken serios steps toward recognizing Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia, shot down several Georgian drones [albeit never recognizing it] and, most worryingly, boosted its troop numbers in the Abkhaz region. Continue Reading »
17 May 2008 Skybar One 0 comments