This is a guest post by Nixon Center President Dimitri K. Simes that was written for joint publication at The Washington Note and National Interest.
I’ll be joining a discussion hosted by Warren Olney of “To the Point” on the Georgia-Russia conflict this afternoon just a short bit after 3 pm EST. I think that one can listen live over the internet at the above link — just click “live” at about 3 pm EST and 12 pm pacific time….
In the Times of London, Anatol Lieven reminds that South Ossetia and Abkhazia had been in the center of turmoil between Georgia and Russia and their own assertions of independence in 1918 and then again in 1991, when the Soviet Union disintegrated.
Belgravia Dispatch‘s Gregory Djerejian publishes one of my favorite blogs. He wrestles issues down to their core and exposes the idiocy and nakedness of the foreign policy arena’s blunderers. Today he writes about the Georgia-Russia conflict and comes out largely where I do. He writes: A few quick points, in no particular order.
She may not need them as Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice pulled off the gold for the 400 meter IM swimming Olympic championships. As part of the Australian American Leadership Dialogue earlier this year, I had the opportunity to hang out with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at the Willard Hotel. He’s very cool.
No matter what one does, it is very hard in our current world to maintain focus. I just watched Michael Phelps win his first gold medal. We don’t all win gold medals in life and don’t all come from perfect families.
Home court has its advantages. Results are coming in. China has two Golds — one in Men’s 10m Air Pistol Shootng and also Women’s 48 kg lifting. We are impressed. The U.S. is next with South Korea third in the tiers of medal takers. The U.S.
Dimitri Simes, President of the Nixon Center, was one of the leading foreign policy experts in Washington to predict some kind of hot clash between the former Soviet state of Georgia and Russia involving the autonomous provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia at the time Kosovo declared its independence. My colleague Anatol Lieven was another….
The Washington Note published several pieces about the details and significance of a potential sexual affair in the middle of the John Edwards presidential primary campaign three times — twice on October 11, 2007 (here and here) and once on October 12, 2007. I wrote about this after reading Sam Stein’s work at Huffington Post….