Earlier this week I blogged on five issues to watch while the Olympics and Presidential election hogged the spotlight.  Somehow I missed the one other issue that has now become a major story:  a rapidly escalating conflict between Georgia and Russia over control of Georgian breakaway province South Ossetia.

This is not good.  In fact, this could get really really bad: a nuclear armed state has gone to war against a small state ostensibly allied with the West.  And of course, with the Russians holding a veto, the UN Security Council can’t do a thing.

My instinct is that Georgia is hoping against hope that their close friendship with the United States and its efforts to join NATO will lead to strong support from the West.  I doubt it.  Given the choice between supporting Georgia and risking a rift with Russia and sitting on its hands, I have no doubts that Bush will choose the latter.

American Footprints has a good summary and set of links here.

Map:  BBC, via American Footprints

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