Georgia on My Mind

A couple of years ago, I wrote a post on my Nigeria Safety & Security Update blog in which I said every future conflict will be over petroleum. A few days ago, Georgia (the former Soviet state, not the one in the southern USA) sent troops into South Ossetia, a separist region it surrounds.

Virtually all of the residents of South Ossetia hold Russian passports, ergo, they are Russian citizens and it is perfectly natural for that country to defend its citizens from Georgian aggression. Georgia is also an ally of the USA, a fact that prompted President George Bush to come to its defense, at least rhetorically.

Guess what Georgia has in common with Afghanistan and Iraq? No, they are not all part of titles of songs sung by Ray Charles. That's right, all three countries are major players in the petroleum business. Afghanistan and Georgia have significant gas and crude oil pipelines that run through their countries and Iraq is a major source for petroleum and natural gas.

This burgeoning conflict may be the most serious threat to world peace since Bush invaded Iraq and manipulated the American people with lies to justify that war. I'll be the Darfurians wish they had oil under their sands.

I do not believe Bush caused Georgia to invade South Ossetia. He's stupid, but he's not that stupid. I don't think he will provide troops or weapons to Georgia either. Oh, he will bluster and threaten to do that but the fact that our military is spread thinner than the ice Bush frequently finds himself standing on is a great deterent to American military involvement in Georgia.