Monday, August 25, 2008

Tranlate This Into Chinese

Russian relations with the West are strained over the whole Russian-Georgian War of 2008. The Russians may be eager to strain them more:

Russia's parliament unanimously approved on Monday resolutions calling for the recognition of two rebel regions of Georgia as independent states, a move likely to worsen already strained relations with the West.

Yet it isn't just the West that Russia is alienating. Given the sensitivity of the Chinese to any province splitting from the mother country, one has to wonder what the Chinese are saying to the Russians over this move to encourage such a split.

Heck, I wonder if the Taiwanese become one of the first to recognize their independence? Even though we wouldn't care for it, given that Taiwanese recognition would be purely symbolic, might we not just ignore such a statement from Taipei?

Explain to me again what Russia has gained from their war? I mean other than those jewels of the Caucasus, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.