This will be brief, and I promise not to mention it again on this blog. Talking about proper politics is a good way to get labeled a conspiracy theorist.

Think of the world as a Risk-style board game where you are playing as the USA. The dollar has lost most of its respect and therefore, under capitalism, its value. Meanwhile, the Euro has been doing rather well and Europe seems to be getting on like a house on fire. Not good for you, as America is it ? Then consider Russia, with enormous energy reserves and a newly capitalist friendly economy. Russia is also getting on very well with Europe. If those two join forces, the dollar is toast.

So, how would you, as the US, make a comeback (remember that this is just a game, and that you have to try to “win” )?
How about taking a worthless ex-Russian state, say Georgia, and then encouraging Russia to “invade it”? You could then summon devilish images of Stalinism, or even Nazism, and everyone would defend you. Especially as no-one actually trusts ex-KGB Putin. But how could you possibly encourage Russia to invade Georgia ? Well…what if a chunk of the country has a Ulster-style belief that they are still part of Russia ? Also, what if the president of Georgia is a maniac with a deep-seated (albeit justified) hatred of Russia ?
All you need to do is supply Georgia with arms, training and promise to support them. You could even promise them entry to NATO. Then you point them towards South Ossetia and stand well back.

You have seen the result. For the first time in a long while, it’s not about oil! The pipeline in Georgia is a cunning red-herring designed to engage the support from the cynical. Even the most left wing anti-war protesters would be prepared to believe Russia was responsible. But why would Russia really give a toss about an oil pipeline in an ex-state when they have more natural energy resources than you can shake a stick at ?

The news networks have all been displaying bizarrely inconsistent views of the situation. But I can’t help noticing that the real news is getting out through stealth reports. For example, tonight on BBC America was a long report about America’s “hard stand” against the revived red-menace. Then there was a report about how, in the last week, the dollar has rallied against the Euro; an event that could be regarded as evidence that the real background of the “Georgia crisis” was an attempt to destabilize Russia from its comfy relationship with Europe…and thus helping lose confidence in the Europe. Seems to be working.

The answer to the question “Who attacked whom first” is Georgia attacked South Ossetia first. This was reported on the news at the time but now you’d be hard put to find any news network willing to say so. But there are enough first hand reports from disinterested and comparatively trustworthy sources if you look around. There is no question about this as far as I am concerned. Even Saakoshvili admits it, with the defence that he believed Russia was planning an invasion. In other words, they hadn’t invaded already.

Some more questions you may want to ponder over. Why was Putin so obviously furious, if it was his invasion ? Why would Russia be in the slightest bit interested in regaining Georgia when they have masses of natural resources and a bright future in Europe ? Why did Georgia attack South Ossetia with no provocation ? Were the US Marines, currently stationed in Georgia, involved in the attack on South Ossetia ? If the Georgian attack was directed towards a Russian invasion, why were they attacking the civilian population of South Ossetia ?

You may think that is is a conspiracy theory. I think you’d only be half right.