So now it’s official: I was right and the rest of the media was wrong about the war in Georgia last year. The EU just issued a report blaming Georgia for starting last year’s war with Russians. About 1 year and 1 month after I wrote the same thing. Unlike everyone else in the Western media, from the very start I wrote in The Nation that Georgia was to blame for starting the war, first here on Day 1 of the war, and then here a few days later.
Meanwhile, as I later wrote, the corporate media wrongly pinned all the blame for the war on a Stalinist/imperialist Russia bent on invading and taking back its former empire by force. Just as they did with the Iraq War, the media once again lied to us and almost dragged America into what they were calling a “New Cold War,” one of John McCain’s main campaign promises.
I took a lot of shit last year for not falling into line with the rest of the media over the war, so I’m going to take this opportunity to do a little Dirty Chicken dance on your faces:
EU report: Georgian attack started war with RussiaBRUSSELS — Georgia’s attack on its breakaway South Ossetia region marked the start of last year’s war with Russia, which retaliated with excessive force, an EU-commissioned report said Wednesday.
The report on the five-day war in August 2008 lay blame on both sides, but cited Georgia as starting the conflict with its night shelling in South Ossetia — an act it said was not justifiable under international law.
I guess we can expect mass firings in the media, and a giant bonus check my way for being right? Because America is a meritocracy, and being right gets rewarded, and being wrong gets you punished? Yeah? I’m waiting…
I wrote a lot about that war last year, in part because I went down to the war zone myself. I wrote about my experience there for the late great Radar magazine’s swansong issue–the article, “The Late Great American Empire,” remains one of my prouder moments as a lowly journalist. You can read it here.
Mark Ames is the author of Going Postal: Rage, Murder and Rebellion from Reagan’s Workplaces to Clinton’s Columbine.
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27 Comments
Add your own1. ............ | September 30th, 2009 at 10:45 am
oh, come on Mr. Ames, don’t get carried away. EVERYBODY knew that Georgia started it. OK, so the NYT and the WSJ didn’t say so? oh, come on…
check out this little speech by Boris Kagarlitsky:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ikbYOGM1eE
2. Expat in BY | September 30th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
It is kind of funny how “everyone knew about it” after the facts come in.
Ames has a right to be “carried away” about this one, at least as a member of the Western press. Failure to cover both sides of the story has been a noteworthy disachievement among Western media since the rise of Rush and his merry band of Dittoheads. You only heard one side of the story from Western media.
Ames at least shows the courage to report it as he sees it, even if it goes against the popular media line in his target market. So when he hits it right, he has the absolute right to gloat (but I also look forward to further insight from him on the situation – his gloat isn’t the end of his duties on this story).
3. Seryoga! | September 30th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Ames – molodec blya!! Ebanye suki ne preznayutsa.
4. Sublime Oblivion | September 30th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Ames is now sinking into egomaniac delusions of grandeur. Many people from amongst the “Western commentariat”, including myself, blamed Georgia from the start – see The Western Media, Craven Shills for their Neocon Masters.
On the FIRST day I even predicted the upcoming Western information war against Russia:
So suck that, Ames! (Or perhaps I’m just bitter that I’m far lower on the journalistic food chain than even him).
5. Balqis | September 30th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
“Everybody knew ” but no one said it
Makes sense
6. cal | September 30th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
and from Time.com
“Report: Both Goergia, Russia To Blame For 2008 War.”
Is that any way to say you’re sorry ?
7. Allen | September 30th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
That was some great reporting. You deserve a medal for putting your thumb in the eye of those cheerleader fucks in Western media.
If America (or anywhere in the occidental West) were a true meritocracy, those mainstream media shills would not just be fired — they would be beaten for their cowardice and stupidity.
8. Concerned Citizen | September 30th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Hail Caesar.
9. KludgeHopper | September 30th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Gloat away, you deserve it.
10. sluggish | September 30th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
I think the point of Ames’ gloating is to show how ridiculous what he calls the corporate media is. They don’t care who’s right or better–only what serves their varied institutional agenda. And whatever that is, its rarely being right.
11. gyges | October 1st, 2009 at 12:51 am
So, Ames bows to the authority of Brussels by subordinating himself to their validation.
12. Peter | October 1st, 2009 at 4:32 am
Don’t pat yourself on the back too hard Mark. Plenty of people knew the same thing. It was as simple as watching/reading the news.
13. James Olivier | October 1st, 2009 at 8:33 am
The report said georgia fired the first shot, but russia was responsible for years of tensions that led to an atmosphere conducive to war. and you know it’s much more evil to create tension and an atmosphere conducive to war than it is to actually start a war and kill lots of people. and i fyou don’t undestand that mark, there must be something wrong with you.
14. Mark Ames | October 1st, 2009 at 10:20 am
Well I guess the EU did there best to white wash the Georgians as best they could without losing total credibility.
Like they fact they complained that it broke “international law” that Russia did not confine the conflict to South Ossetia and spread it to other regions of Georgia despite the fact that the logistical base/hubs for the assault, barracks that provided reinforcements for the Georgian push into South Ossetia, the port that was shipping in reinforcements and weapons from Ukraine and tactical intelligence command centre in other areas of Georgia.
How extensive is its report on US/Israel helping planning the assault?
US and Britain’s veto of an emergency ceasefire Russian resolution brought forth by Russia at the UN Security counsel before they sent in troops as a response obviously had an impact on the developments of the war.
Does it mention Georgian intelligence trying to set up a terror cell in Ingushetia, recruiting Georgians in the Russian army, Polish rockets to Chechen militants, MPRI training Georgian forces in sabotage techniques, etc.
What about foreign mercenaries from US and Ukraine was that true?
I don’t understand the criticism of it not being confined to Ossetia when the rockets for the initial bombardment were stationed outside of S Ossetia and reinforcements for the troops for the assault were coming from other areas of Georgia.
@cal
Time also gave notable praise to Saakashvili in its “People Who Mattered” section on its Time 2008 Person of the Year page.
“He poked the Russian bear, and his tiny nation got mauled. But Saakashvili, President of Georgia, stood out as a beacon of hope for former Soviet states now menaced by the imperial ambitions of 2007’s Person of the Year, Vladimir Putin. Outgunned on the battlefield, Saakashvili, a U.S.-trained lawyer (above, on a recent visit to New York City), used superior media savvy to cast himself as a modern-day democratic David, fending off the monster from Moscow.
—Bobby Ghosh”
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2008/personoftheyear/article/0,31682,1861543_1865283_1866538,00.html
@James Olivier
Georgia started the conflict from the beginning by abolishing the regions autonomous states and representation and sent in troops under the slogan “Georgia for Georgians” and since then they have stoked tensions by repeated border incursions using Georgian and Chechen mercenaries from the Panski Gorge.
Of course the EU had to put a negative spin on it most EU countries hate Russia, totally subservient to the US and provided billions of dollars to the Georgian military not to mention NATO and MPRI forces were training Georgian forces and holding exercises just before the conflict.
Just like they did in Krijina in 95 with Operation Storm against the Serbs in fact it is almost identical.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIh8_UJrOGc
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg042409.html
Georgia itself is a British/Israeli/US puppet state with the defence minister being an Israeli.
15. poemless | October 1st, 2009 at 11:35 am
Sublime Oblivion,
You are just a guy with a blog, which is not what I think he’s referring to when he says “Western media” or “corporate media.”
It IS remarkable that now that the EU report has been released, Georgia’s culpability is suddenly common knowledge. Just like the way it is now common knowledge that we should not have invaded Iraq. Hindsight is given the same value as foresight. What’s done is done, move along, nothing to see here, we need to move forward and concentrate on today and future issues we can fuck up by ignoring people who bother us with their facts and insight.
16. ....... | October 1st, 2009 at 11:58 am
OK, AMes deserves credit for saying the truth, when the rest of the US media was lying its head off. but still, you have to acknowledge, that AT THE VERY SAME TIME, there were many other people who toldya the truth. of course, they weren’t interviewed etcc. in the mainstream media, but they were there.
17. Ewiak Ryszard | October 1st, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Georgia is the most dangerous flashpoint in Russia’s tense relations with the West. The Bible says: “At the appointed time [the king of the north = Russia] will return [will regain the influence, which it lost after the break-up of the Soviet Union] and come into the south [many indicate that this might be Georgia], but it will not be as the former [1921] or as the latter [2008]. For shall come against him the dwellers of coastlands of Kittim [the West], and he will be humbled, and will return.” (Daniel 11:29,30a)
At that time, peace will be taken from the earth and the “great sword” – nuclear sword – will be used. (Revelation 6:4) However, it will be neither the great tribulation nor “the end of the world” (Armageddon). As Jesus foretold, that will be “the beginning of birth pains”. (Mathew 24:7,8)
If the Heavens planned a full return of Russia (and much suggests this) the present economic crisis will deepen. Then also the European Union and NATO will not stand.
18. spiffo massive | October 1st, 2009 at 4:08 pm
yeah well done Ames! but having said that, you shouldn’t gloat too hard because the real purpose of western media has never been to actually report factual news. too many invested interests for that. (therefore the fact that you did, doesn’t mean you’re automatically better than them, although you are) their sole and entire purpose is to disseminate disinformation so that Joe Six Pack and Jane Citizen can pat themselves on the back every time they see how great Amerika is and how bad all those other places are whilst eating their macaroni and cheese tupperware dinners. and at that, the western media is awesome 🙂
19. James Olivier | October 1st, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Mark — why am I allowed to comment on this site? Don’t you guys at least have a censor or someone who can keep me from making a total ass of myself? Thank god I use a fake name, but still, I’ll check back and see what idiotic things I’ve written. You’re a nice guy Mark, but you know something? I really hate America, and I realize you love America too much. that’s your problem.
20. adolphhitler | October 2nd, 2009 at 3:49 pm
@17..dude, you need to start taking your meds again!
@ 19 hmmm, let me guess, you accused ames of hating amerika
21. james | October 4th, 2009 at 4:16 am
Correction post number 14. Mark Ames the best comment on this article should have actually been james. Forgot to change the name back from a posting on a previous comment.
22. Ilona | October 6th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Yeah, yeah. EU is sucking an oily Russian dick and gassy ass.
Yeah, yeah. Russia never, ever militarily provoked a thing around the region.
Yeah, yeah. Russia has never, ever done any imperialistic muscle flexing anywhere anytime.
Yeah, yeah. The small states doesn’t really mean a shit in the Russian the handbook of the foreign policy.
Yeah, yeah Mark. You we’re so objective about it all.
23. james | October 6th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
@Ilona
The US is run by the Jewish Bolsheviks that once ruled Russia hence there Trotskyite doctrine of perpetual war brought about by the false flag attack on 9/11 by the Mossad and CIA.
Report said they didn’t provoke a response and this is the same EU that installed and supports Georgia.
Facts are facts!
24. Ilona | October 11th, 2009 at 10:08 am
@ james
Yeah, yeah James… You are sooooo right about it all you wrote it makes me sick.
And that’s the fact!
25. Ilona | October 11th, 2009 at 11:15 am
Reports said it.
26. Ilona | October 11th, 2009 at 11:41 am
Mossad is all good!
Ask War Nerd.
27. james | October 13th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
@Ilona
You should read how Mossad falsifies attacks to provoke military responces like Mossad defector Victor Ostrovsky how through smuggling in a radio transmitter to trick the US into thinking Libya had communications and leads to the German 86 disco bombing.
http://www.fpp.co.uk/BoD/Mossad/index.html
http://www.fpp.co.uk/BoD/Mossad/Ostrovsky.html
http://aangirfan.blogspot.com/2008/09/false-flag-operations-from-amman-to.html
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