Georgia-Russia conflict ignites war talk

VCU students expressed their concerns about the Georgia-Russia situation at a forum held Thursday, Aug. 28, by the International Students for Social Equality.

“Countries should be able to declare their independence and rights accordingly,” a student said at the forum in regard to what she said is the U.S. and Russia trying to determine the fate of other countries.

Jeff Lassahn -VCU alumnus, president of the ISSE and speaker at the forum – said the U.S. media took a spin on the situation with anti-Russian propaganda, making Russia seem like the main nation to blame. He also said President George W. Bush, Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama are all battling to see who can be more controversial with Russia.

Chris Pittman, a photography and film major, agrees with Lassahn’s assertion that the media has shown no equal balance.

“The media is very bias(ed) and politicians are bipartisan. They don’t show an alternative point of view,” Pittman said.

“We could answer this better by developing a diplomatic relationship rather than putting more missiles somewhere,” Pittman said in response to the U.S. and Poland missile agreement, which states the U.S. will base ballistic missile interceptors in Poland.

Lassahn said the U.S. exploited Iraq for its resources and is now attempting to exploit Georgia as well.

“The nation’s best interest does not apply to me,” Lassahn said.

Lassahn also said the U.S. spends more money on military than any other country in response to industrial decline.

Lassahn’s concern is that wars on pipelines in small countries with low economic powers turn those countires into pawns for two major powers like the U.S. and Russia and could cause a war to touch close to home.

For information or to get involved contact Jeff Lassahn at lassahnjs@vcu.edu.

EXTRA INFO:

The war between Georgia and Russia is not only affecting Europe, but is touching base with issues at home that could lead the United States into conflict with the nations.

The Georgian-Russian war started the same day the Olympics opened, Aug. 8, over South Ossetia and Abkhazia-two small provinces that broke away from Georgia in the early 1990s. Georgian troops attacked Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia where thousands of Russian citizens live and also had peacekeepers based there.

Three days later, Russia pushed farther into South Ossetia with military force, pushing all the way to the Abkhazian border and expanding the tensions into another country.

An expert on this situation, Ariel Cohen, Ph.D., senior research fellow at The Kathryn and Shelby Cullum Davis Institute for International Studies, said in an article there is speculation about Russia possibly attempting to put the Soviet Union back together, regardless of the consequences, while Georgia wants to spread a pro-Western regime to other countries.

“Russia wants regime change by bringing down President Mikheil Saakashvili and installing a more pro-Russian leadership in Tbilisi,” Cohen stated.

The core of this conflict resides in two major resources: natural gas and oil pipelines. The regions these pipelines run through are the Caucasus, Georgia and Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea and Asia.

Since the break up of the Soviet Union, according to Cohen, the U.S. has attempted to gain control of the Caucasus, Caspian Sea and Asia pipeline routes in order to exclude Russia. The U.S. appointed Mikheil Saakashvili as the president of Georgia and the U.S. military has been helping Georgia develop and train their military force for years.

A big controversy has been the U.S. and Poland’s missile agreement, which allows for U.S. ballistic missile interceptors in Poland. The Bush administration has denied any specific threats to Russia, but Russia views this agreement as potential threat towards Moscow.