Putin Derangement Syndrome
It's rather bewildering to see the same people who cheered for Kosovo's independence sternly lecturing Russia on the territorial integrity of Georgia. It's also confusing to see that so many American conservatives, who constantly blast the mainstream media for being biased and unreliable, are taking everything the MSM says about this latest conflict at face value.

There are three things one should keep in mind when following this war: 1) Most importantly, we need to pray for peace between these two Orthodox nations; 2) There aren't really any "good guys" in this fight; and 3) It is none of our damned business.

I haven't followed all of the particulars or all of the history leading up to the war. I do know something of the US's policies regarding Eastern Europe and Russia over the past few years, and it's difficult to avoid the conviction that we've deliberately tried to anger the Russians at every opportunity (the only alternative explanation is the government is hopelessly tone deaf.) How would you feel if Russia aggressively courted Canada, Mexico, Cuba, and the rest of Central America to form a "defensive alliance," where each country would be obligated to go to war on the other's behalf? How would you feel if the Russians then decided to install some "defensive" missile sites in Canada and Mexico?

All the usual suspects have found their new Hitler of the Month. Even if Georgia were a member of NATO, the US would not go to war over her. And that is an important lesson of geopolitics: never, ever, under any circumstances whatsoever, make a promise that you cannot or will not keep. I don't blame the average Georgian citizen one bit for feeling betrayed. It's even worse once you understand that even if Georgia had full NATO membership, hard political realities would prevent any Western nation from militarily coming to her aid.

Before concluding that we are ordained by God to fix every problem and right every wrong in the world, it would be helpful to learn something about the region. Let's also remember the plank in our own eye, hm? What major differences exist between South Ossetia and Kosovo, other than the fact that Kosovo is thousands of miles away from the US while South Ossetia borders Russia?

EDIT: This is a good example to illustrate the Just War criteria of "proportionate response." When I said earlier that there aren't really any good guys in this fight, what I meant was Georgia started this war. Now it seems Georgia is offering to let South Ossetia go (if I read that story correctly), and pretty much anything else the Russians want; it's not like Georgia is in much of a position to resist anymore. I'm not convinced the Russians intend to annex Georgia (and breathless worrying about Putin wanting to reform the Soviet Union are just plain silly), but their rejection of cease-fire offers, which include independence for South Ossetia crosses the line into a disproportionate response to Georgian president Saakashvili's blundering, i.e. an unjust war. By all means we should try to broker peace between the two nations, while keeping in mind there are no vital American interest worth going to war over.