While America considers Georgia an ally, it needs Russia too much on issues like Iran to risk it all to back Georgia.

An irritated Bush administration accused Russia on Wednesday of trying to find excuses to keep thousands of troops in Georgia in violation of a cease-fire Russia signed last month.

I cannot claim to be an expert on the Caucuses, but Russia’s invasion of Georgia marks a new chapter in Russia’s relationship with her neighbours and her standing in the international community. A few months ago, Georgian attempts to join NATO were scuppered by concerns led by the Germans that it would antagonise the Russians. It begs the question what would have happened if Georgia ha...

After agreeing to a cease-fire with Russia, Mikheil Saakashvili said Russian tanks were attacking Gori in central Georgia and continued to move through the west, although Russia denied the attacks.

well, I don't see millions marching through Europe's cities with banners saying that. But Russia has invaded Georgia and continues to occupy its territory. I stand with Georgia and against Russia on this. The government of Georgia may well be a bunch of gangsters. I suspect they are. But that's not the point. Where I differ with Europe's leaders is in saying that Russia was wro...

Unfortunately reaction to the Russia-Georgia conflict in the blogosphere has tended to be both ill-informed and over-simplified. The right have rushed to back Georgia and sections of the left to back Russia. There has, bluntly, been little worth reading. If I can put on my professional diplomat's hat (having with great reluctance taken off my producer's hat, as the Fringe run of Nadira&#...

Russia's president said troops would pull back from Georgia to the two ethnic enclaves that Russia recognizes as independent.

The west should try to engage Russia in talks over Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and when Russia bullies Georgia. the west must back its vulnerable ally

George W Bush's secretary of state has issued an oracular warning about co-operating with Russia. The Russian bear is "quite ill-tempered", as may be seen from its decision to recognise as independent two provinces which broke away from Georgia. This is because Georgia is not Serbia, and also because South Ossetians are not Turkish Kurds, and the fact that Russia is not America may have something

I haven't made any comment on this "conflict" so far, simply because I have no real idea about the background to it. Of course I have heard the MSM filtered version, which seemed to imply that the Georgians attacked South Ossetia, who were trying to break away from Georgia, with alleged support from Russia. So Georgia started throwing the bombs around, though they will say they were provoked ...