NEWS: Georgia News Digest 08-12-08 (pdf)

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News current as of 1030pm Tbilisi time--much now OBE.
Apologies for the casual formatting and citing today >>>

A service of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies

Attached PDF file easily navigable with Bookmarks pane
Archives and associated files at groups.google.com/group/genewsfiles (from February 2008) and groups.google.com/group/genews (before February 2008)

Major news reports
1. Russian ground forces invade Georgia, Georgian army retreats to defend capital
2. Saakashvili’s address to nation
3. ‘Russia occupies significant part of Georgia’ – Saakashvili
4. audio: Day to Day (NPR)
5. Georgian troops in S. Ossetia surrendering
6. Medvedev says Russia will continue active role in S. Caucasus
7. Russia bombs Georgia as EU mounts peace mission to Moscow
8. Georgia fight spreads, Moscow issues ultimatum
9. Medvedev: Operations in Georgia almost complete

10. video galleries
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11. Fear and defiance mingle on Tbilisi streets
12. EC presses Russia on Georgia
13. Georgia claims Russians have cut country in half
14. Russia widens war, seizing a base as Georgians pull back
15. Georgia 'overrun' by Russian troops as full-scale ground invasion begins
16. Diplomats warn conflict could scupper Georgia's Nato membership bid
17. Russian soldiers open second front in Georgia
18. Russian troops invade Georgia and 'take the town of Gori'
19. South Ossetians flee cellars for safety in Russia
20. audio: Update on the situation between Russia and Georgia
21. In South Ossetia capital, a relative calm
22. Sharp war of words joins Caucasus violence
23. Yes, it’s war with Russia
24. Russia builds up troops as Georgia fears ground invasion
25. Russia has taken over half the country, Georgia claims
26. livelblogging
27. Russian forces capture military base in Georgia
28. There was so much blood spilled
29. Russian jets, unchallenged, sow terror among Georgian troops
30. Russian military pushes into Georgia
31. Georgia rolls out its big guns
32. Ossetians say west is behind conflict
33. Russia tightens the noose: Troops are sent deep into Georgia
34. Georgian army flees in disarray as Russians advance
35. Russian troops seize a strategic prize in swift advance
36. video: Russian troops do not plan to advance on Tbilisi – Moscow
37. Conflict spreads as Georgians curse their leader
38. Russia compares Georgian leader to Saddam
39. Fears of escalating war
40. Aggressor or peacekeeper?
41. Georgian foreign minister calls for political dialogue with Russia
42. Refugees flee conflict
43. Dumbstruck and downtrodden, refugees relieved to be in Russian hands
44. Russian army moves into West Georgia
45. CNN transcripts—various
Other news items
46. Fears escalate for health of civilians caught up in conflict
47. UNHCR airlifting humanitarian aid for displaced from South Ossetia conflict
48. WFP provides food to thousands displaced by conflict in Georgia
49. Hundreds killed and injured in Russia/Georgia conflict
50. Red Cross to send surgeons and medicines to Georgia
51. Young rebel chronicles weekend of death and destruction in Georgia
52. S Ossetia to insist on international recognition of Ossetian people’s genocide
53. Tribunal on acts of genocide in South Ossetia to be set up
54. Millions of dollars in aid sent to conflict victims
55. St. Petersburg rallies to relieve suffering of South Ossetians
56. Russian fighter jets dropped shells near Batumi
57. Shells hit Sharabidzeebi, Makhvilauri and Khelvachauri
58. South Ossetians allege "ritual murders" by Georgians, Russian agency
59. Russian paratroopers reinforce peacekeepers in Georgia's Abkhazia
60. Georgian forces hold defensive positions in South of conflict zone l
61. Russian forces in Zugdidi
62. Georgia claims shooting down Russian jet
63. Russian forces advance deep into Georgia to Senaki
64. Georgian helicopters bomb S. Ossetia targets-witness
65. RF peacekeepers eliminate threat of new attacks on S Ossetia from Senaki
66. Russian troops in Abkhazia not to allow Ossetian scenario
67. Abkhazia launches new attack on Georgian forces
68. Georgian "raiders" caught, foreigners killed in South Ossetia
69. Russian officials deny Georgians detained in South Ossetia
70. Georgian warplane downed in South Ossetia - Russian agency
71. Abkhaz separatists say Georgia troops locked in Kodori – agency
72. Russian peacekeepers seize police buildings in Georgia's Zugdidi District
73. Russian army reports destroying two Georgian helicopters
74. Russia sends Chechen units to South Ossetia
75. Russian TV interviews Chechen commander fighting in South Ossetia
76. Volunteering to kill Georgians
77. On Ossetia, denials by Khalilzad of foreign fighters, by Yerevan of Russian planes
78. U.S. military aircraft bring 800 Georgian troops home from Iraq
79. U.S. military instructors command hirelings in Georgia
80. Georgia accuses Russia of co-ordinated cyberattack
81. Disinformers to be held responsible – Government of Georgia
82. Meeting with Chairman of the Russian Federation Prosecutor General’s Office
83. Senior Russian diplomat accuses West of 'double standards' over South Ossetia
84. Putin criticises U.S. over South Ossetia
85. audio: Russia denies capturing key Georgian town
86. Russia cuts S. Ossetia casualty conflict figures
87. South Ossetian weightlifter disturbed by conflict
88. Okruashvili and his party call for unity
89. Saakashvili meets with opposition leaders
90. Georgia has several months’ reserves of food and fuel
91. The Georgian economy under Russian aggression
92. Saakashvili tries to allay sense of panic in Tbilisi
93. Capital flight fears lead Georgia to halt lending
94. Georgia acts to cool fears among western investors
95. Russian Duma not to consider Abkhazia, S Ossetia independence - deputy speaker
96. Georgian official dismisses reaction of Georgia's allies to Russian aggression as slow
97. Russian senator urges US colleagues to look for solution to South Ossetia
98. Georgian statements about Russian aircraft lOsses "beyond belief"
99. Georgia rejects Russian peacekeepers' "ultimatum"
100. No restrictions at Georgian border checkpoints, official says
International response
101. The world supports Georgia
102. UN council hears of Russian advances into Georgia
103. Georgia wants U.N. peacekeepers to halt conflict
104. Russia says Western bid for Georgia truce unacceptable
105. Sarkozy heads to Russia on peace mission
106. Russia slams French resolution urging Georgia peace
107. President George W. Bush delivers remarks on the situation in Georgia
108. Bush: Russia must reverse course in Georgia
109. Bush warns Russia to pull back in Georgia
110. 'Unacceptable': Bush denounces Russian attacks on Georgia
111. Washington admits it has few options for action
112. Russia defies US and launches new attacks
113. Angry US envoy denounces Russian 'invasion' of enclave
114. John McCain plan to isolate and punish
115. Statement by John Mccain on the crisis in Georgia
116. McCain adviser was lobbyist for Georgia
117. Obama's statement on Georgia
118. Countdown with Keith Olberman
119. USA "nervous" that Georgia may have misread its signals - Russian UN envoy
120. State department evacuates 170 Americans from Georgia
121. Former Soviet sphere shocked into silence by conflict in Georgia
122. Baltic states show support for Georgia
123. Lithuanian formin arrives in tbilisi to meet with Georgia's top-ranking officials
124. Lithuania shocked over Russian attacks after Georgia's withdrawal from South Ossetia
125. Lithuanian daily calls for sanctions against Russia over Georgian conflict
126. Support to Georgia rally organized outside Russian embassy in Vilnius
127. West should see daylight - Georgia didn't attack Russia, Russia attacked Georgia
128. Latvian FM says Georgian conflict leave negative impact on Latvian Russian relations
129. Latvian parlt might hold extraordinary session on support to Georgia on thursday
130. Latvian ex-FM believes Baltics should press on EU to take stricter position on Georgia
131. Latvian paper deplores "aggressive regime" in Russia in wake of Georgian events
132. Georgian-Russian conflict may have serious consequences - Latvian president
133. Russian ambassador to Latvia calls Baltics' siding with Georgia a mistake
134. Latvia's ngos urge seeking possibilities of practical assistance to Georgia
135. Latvian FM to organize charter flights from Yerevan to get people home from Georgia
136. Estonia expects clear position from NATO, EU - formin official
137. Estonian speaker calls emergency parlt session on Georgia)
138. Estonia: bill supports Georgia's early accession to nato
139. Slovak commentary says South Ossetia conflict to block Georgia's way to NATO
140. Slovakia waiting to see EU stance on Russian action in Georgia
141. Slovene daily warns world closer to new cold war
142. Slovene daily sees similarities between South Ossetia crisis and Balkan wars
143. Belarusian Popular Front backs Georgia over South Ossetia conflict
144. Turkey concerned over South Ossetia conflict
145. Moldova supports EU stance on Georgian conflict
146. Moldovan opposition party protests Russia's action in Georgia
147. President Kaczynski will go to Georgia
148. Georgia cannot become a second Chechnya
149. War in South Ossetia: Moment of truth for Poland and Europe
150. Swiss told to leave Georgia
151. Italian premier urges Russian premier to resume dialogue with Georgia
152. German official urges ceasefire in South Ossetia
153. Albania backs "Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty"
154. Ukrainian party worried by Russia's use of Crimean base in Georgian conflict
155. Ukrainian parties, NGOs stage rally to support Georgia
156. Croatian daily says Caucasus likely to become region of conflict over energy
157. Ukrainian daily says Georgia to benefit from conflict with Russia
158. Bulgaria calls for common European position on South Ossetia crisis
159. Romania supports Georgia's, Moldova's territorial integrity
160. Serbian analyst says "dangerous Kosovo precedent" to "reflect" in South Ossetia
161. Czechs export arms to Georgia
162. Kyrgyz pundit slams Russian policy in S Ossetia
163. Tajik pundit says S Ossetia crisis "complicated phenomenon"
164. Tajik expert describes S Ossetia crisis as conflict over "Caucasian oil"
165. Ossetian diaspora in Tajikistan condemns Georgia's actions
166. Moscow must respect Georgia territorial integrity: Harper
167. Israel to allow limited weapon sales to Georgia "under tight supervision"
168. Israelis in Georgia warn of impending disaster
169. Israelis stranded in Georgia
170. Jews caught in Russian-Georgian war
171. Israel playing down Georgia ties
172. Iranians advised not to travel to Georgia
Opinion and analysis
173. Simmering cauldron in the Caucasus that may endanger us all
174. Fighting to win
175. The new war in the Caucasus will change our country's future irreversibly
176. South Ossetia for Medvedev is what the Kursk submarine was for Putin
177. Armed conflict sharply raises risks for oil and gas transit through Georgia
178. Russia's dare; maybe now the west will see Vladimir Putin for what he is
179. Black Sea watershed
180. Will Russia get away with it?
181. Russia bids to rid Georgia of its folly
182. Everyone's a loser in the Caucasus conflict
183. South Ossetia raises nasty questions
184. Our Georgian Adventure
185. Blow dealt to prospect of oil pipeline security
186. Aggressor or peacekeeper?
187. Georgia's major miscalculation?
188. An avoidable catastrophe
189. Statement on Georgia
190. An August war in the Caucasus
191. Russian triumph as Saakashvili's gamble fails
192. How does it end?
193. The Georgia surprise
194. Q&A on WTF is going on with Russia and Georgia, part i: who started it?
195. Tbilisi overestimates combat potential
196. Georgia-Russia air war
197. EBRD sees Georgia economic fallout from war
198. Russia teaches Georgia a hard lesson
199. Russia and Georgia come to blows
200. President Saakashvili guards scramble to protect him from air raid risk
201. Vladimir Putin sends emphatic message of global importance
202. Russia returns
203. Playing with Fire
204. Another war, another media frenzy
205. Saakashvili as a propaganda phenomenon
206. Russian “tandemocracy” stumbles into a war
207. Russia v. Georgia: Four painful lessons
208. Putting things in perspective
209. Misreading Ossetia -- chronology matters
210. Moscow's motives in its Georgian war
211. In Russia and Georgia, hostilities smoldered quietly for years
212. Conflict in Georgia and its breakaway region
213. Elnur Baimov: "We have again witnessed the next diplomatic defeat of Russia"
214. Will the common sense prevail?
215. audio: South Ossetia, more than a region (Interview with Lili DiPuppo)
216. War as an instrument of peace
217. Turkey caught in a dilemma over South Ossetia
218. Some analysts say Russia’s Siloviki benefit from a war with Georgia
219. How Georgia prepared for war, and who helped it
220. The messy truth behind the morality tale
221. Russian opposition on the war in Georgia
222. "Where's NATO?"
223. Those plucky Georgians
224. audio: Dato Darchiashvili on South Ossetia
225. Why Georgia-Russia Conflict Is Significant For U.S.
226. Brutal proof that the Russian bully never went away
227. Stop Playing Games
228. When frozen wars heat up
229. Russia bids to rid Georgia of its folly
230. Strategic blunder led Georgia into S. Ossetia folly
231. Russia unmasked
232. The two-faced, underhanded foreign policy of Georgia
233. Stratfor acknowledges Russia defeated US, not Georgian army in South Ossetia
234. Georgia, Ossetia and public opinion
235. Crisis in Georgia
236. Beware
237. Appeasing Russia: The historical reasons why the West should intervene in Georgia
238. Georgia on my mind
239. Lonely night in Georgia: The Bush administration's feckless response
240. Roots of the conflict between Georgia, South Ossetia and Russia
241. Brutality to make a point
242. Rebuke of a president, in the boom of artillery
243. U.S. knew Georgia trouble was coming, but couldn't stop it
244. Mikheil Saakashvili vetoed: Russia suggests a regime change in Georgia
245. Untying a Georgian knot
246. US plays a shadowy hand in Georgian conflict
247. Think-tank offensive
248. Russia blames the victim
249. South Ossetia, Abkhazia Have No Right to Secede
250. Mikheil Saakashvili's 'calculated gamble'
251. U.S., Georgia miscalculate Russian determination
252. Burning a path through Georgia
253. Ossetia ordeal ill-served by cold war logic
254. Georgia did not deserve this - Europe closed its eyes
255. Breakaway regions backed by Caucasian neighbours
256. Four days of silence that condemn Britain
257. The Failure of Realpolitik
258. US has few options in Russia-Georgia conflict
259. Georgia on our conscience
260. Lessons to be drawn from Georgia
261. Russia and Georgia play power politics
262. Georgia's firecracker president loses control of his fuse
263. Russia's pinpricks caused Georgia's military intervention
264. Latest on Georgia
265. In Russia-Georgia conflict, Balkan shadows
266. Georgia-Russia clash: A 'bump' or 'turn' in road?
267. Talking sense on South Ossetia
268. Experts discuss Georgia-Russia conflict
269. No good guys in Russia-Georgia War
270. Beyond Georgia: The ripple effects of Russia's attack
271. Vladimir Putin capitalises on US ambivalence
272. South Ossetians, too, have the right to self-determination
273. Revenge of the puppetmaster
274. A small war in Georgia could have huge consequences
275. It is probably far too late to halt the growing war in Georgia;
276. Russian history comes in from the cold in the Caucasus
277. Putin's vendetta
278. A lot to lose for Georgia's booming economy
279. Intervention may breed instability
280. No one can check hostile bear's strategic ambitions
281. Nato must not be cowed into submission by a superpower
282. Roots of Georgia-Russia clash run deep


Jonathan Kulick, Ph.D., Director of Studies, Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, 3a Chitadze, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia (Republic), jonathan.kulick@gfsis.org, office: +995 32 47 35 55, mobile: +995 95 33 33 40, USA voicemail: 310.928.6814