French President Nicolas Sarkozy accuses George Bush of failing to take the initiative over the summer conflict in...

An ex-Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe official accuses it of failing to warn about the Georgia...

 Welcome to Georgia, Population 9,544,750 (2007 est.) It is also the third fastest growing state in terms of numeric gain and fifth in terms of percent gain, adding 202,670 residents at a rate of 2.2 percent. From 2006 to 2007, Georgia had 18 counties among the nation’s 100 fastest-growing counties, the most of any state. Georgia is also known as the Peach State and the Empire State of the South. Atlanta is the most populous city, and the capital. Georgia is bordered on the south by Florida; on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and South Carolina; on the west by Alabama and by Florida in the extreme southwest; and on the north by Tennessee and North Carolina. The northern part of the state is in the blue ridge mountains, a mountain range in the vast mountain system of the...

Russia's President Medvedev says the war in Georgia was the result of "conceited" US foreign policy, in a keynote...

Western donors pledge more than $4bn in aid to Georgia, two months after its conflict with...

New polling shows a dead heat in the Georgia Senate Race. The diary asks for help in reaching goal of $1,000 raised for Jim Martin. This race is intriguing for a number of...

As EU observers prepare to start monitoring a Russian pullback in Georgia, it is still unclear where they will be able to...

Without saying a word, Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban said it all. Sorry Georgia fans, the Bulldogs are out of the BCS. Vote at the poll for who YOU think should be #...

Troy set to be executed today!In the sad event that there is no intervention today, Troy Davis will be executed by the state of Georgia at 7 p.m.Please make one last attempt to halt the execution of a potentially innocent man. Call the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles and the Georgia Attorney General's Office and urge them to stop the execution.BOARD OF PARDONS AND PAROLES: 404-657-9350GEORGIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: 404-656-3300Mr. Davis' serious claims of innocence, which include the recantation of 7 out of 9 witnesses, have never been heard in court. Further, no murder weapon was found and no physical evidence linked Davis to the crime.For more information visit:...

A German diplomat begins preparing the deployment of EU observers in Georgia - but Russia may restrict the scope of their...

The Liberal Democrats today called on Britain to push for a strong EU response to the Georgian conflict, including the possibility of sanctions if Russian aggression continues.An emergency motion introduced by the party's Shadow Foreign Secretary, Edward Davey - Condemns Russia's invasion and occupation of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and its unilateral recognition of their independence Calls for Russia to withdraw its forces from all parts of Georgia to their 7 August positions Calls for any further Russian aggression to be met with targeted sanctions such as visa restrictions Proposes that the prospect of NATO membership be held open to Georgia and Ukraine, but only when existing territorial disputes have been resolved and NATO countries can credibly deliver on their defence...

No doubt this item from the Iranian Press TV won't get reported in the Western media, which has a certain narrative to maintain:US Congressman Ron Paul says the United States is in Georgia not for democracy but to protect an oil pipeline bypassing Russia.“We are not for democracy there - we are there to protect a pipeline. And that is tragic for me,” he said.The remarks came as the US Senate Committee on Armed Services held a hearing to cast Moscow as an aggressor in the 5-day conflict in the Caucasus region but a rift among the members hampered decision making.Another US congressman has accused Georgia of triggering the conflict despite the Bush administration's taking side with Tbilisi.“The recent fighting in Georgia and its breakaway region was started by Georgia. The Georgians...

Chechen President Kadyrov accuses the US of emboldening Georgia to start a war in the Caucasus to test Russian...

Russia accuses the EU of duplicity over an agreement with Georgia on where EU ceasefire monitors can be...

French president urges Russia to honour troop withdrawal as Georgia opens legal fight for breakaway provinces at UN...

RUSSIA. Boo! Georgia. Hurrah! In the great tradition of spinning the truth in military campaigns, Georgia may have been comprehensively defeated militarily, but it is seen as having won the propaganda war. Little, brave Georgia has taken on the nasty Russian Republic. When the journalist Peter Whilby examined press releases issued by Georgia’s PR consultants, he noted that they used deliberate “terms that trigger western media interest” in describing the Russian actions, such as “civilian victims”, “nuclear”, “humanitarian”, “occupation” and “ethnic cleansing.” Words are like weapons...

The US vice-president, Dick Cheney, yesterday issued a direct challenge to Moscow's sway over Georgia, pledging Washington's support for its eventual membership of Nato, while denouncing Russia's "illegitimate" invasion. "Georgia will be in our alliance," Cheney said after talks with President Mikheil...

A cogent article by Sir Ivor Roberts describes how western blunders over Kosovo undermine the case against Russia on Georgia and recommends engaging with Russia, not isolating it [More...

US Vice-President Dick Cheney is expected to underline Washington's support for Georgia on a visit to...

The IMF is set to give Georgia a $750m loan to help tackle the economic damage from its conflict with...

Ben Judah has written a very worthwhile article for the Henry Jackson Society. It contains good foresight and a superb last paragraph reproduced here:Looking at Russia’s actions leaves us in a position that makes it hard to strike back without risking even more. The democratic potential for the country is still enormous and we cannot risk falling into a trap set by the Kremlin to launch a new Cold War, so as to permanently rule that out. Neither can we permit populist revanchism to re-draw the map of Eastern Europe on the vague hope that it might produce democracy in the back-wash. Proving that Russian minorities need not turn to Moscow for protection, un-freezing the frozen conflicts and launching serious rounds of negotiations with the Russians on disarmament – whilst never ceasing...

The EU summit on Russia and Georgia will be a very important one. I'm sure Russia feels resentment about the way the EU and NATO are encroaching on what they see as their sphere of influence. It is also possible to understand Russian resentment about their loss of power and influence since the collapse of the Soviet Union. It also seems likely that Georgia made a critical error in resorting to force against the Russian minority even if they had been provoked by Russian encouragement of the minority. None of this should detract from the criticism of Russia. Its response was designed as a warning to the EU and NATO. The implications however go well beyond that. If countries like the Ukraine and Georgia are not going to be allowed by Russia to elect to join NATO and the EU then they become...

This article appears in Democratiya (number 14). Russia, it was said, was still reeling from the loss of its empire. It had formally accepted the right of countries like Ukraine to self-determination. But among its leaders, some sought ways to bring the “near abroad” back into the fold. As a result, all the countries on Russia's borders were actively seeking the protection of European powers and America. This, in turn, was interpreted by the Kremlin as a kind of encirclement. Tensions with Poland were running expecially high. And then the Russian army invaded Georgia. The response of the trade union movement and the democratic Left was swift – universal condemnation of a blatant act of aggression, an obvious attempt to seize control over a country whose independence Russia...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says he wants more monitors from Europe's security body to be sent to...

Georgia is to cut diplomatic ties with Russia, days after Moscow recognised South Ossetia and Abkhazia as...

Russian PM says Georgia war has been cooked up in Washington to create a neo-cold war...

well, I don't see millions marching through Europe's cities with banners saying that. But Russia has invaded Georgia and continues to occupy its territory. I stand with Georgia and against Russia on this. The government of Georgia may well be a bunch of gangsters. I suspect they are. But that's not the point. Where I differ with Europe's leaders is in saying that Russia was wrong to recognise the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Both those regions have said they would like to be independent of Georgia. South Ossetia has in the past applied to secede from Georgia and join Russia, but Russia, it should be remembered, said no. Get out of Georgia and then we can talk about independence or secession or whatever for those regions. Oh and people are being disappeared by South...

Well worth reading- Russia/Georgia: Uncle Craig Answers Your Questions...

Discussion of US aims in Georgia: are they mainly to establish a base for a future US or Israeli attack on Iran? [More...

Unfortunately reaction to the Russia-Georgia conflict in the blogosphere has tended to be both ill-informed and over-simplified. The right have rushed to back Georgia and sections of the left to back Russia. There has, bluntly, been little worth reading. If I can put on my professional diplomat's hat (having with great reluctance taken off my producer's hat, as the Fringe run of Nadira's show closed yesterday) I would acknowledge that there are many diplomats who are achingly dull and conventional. But the best of them can bring knowledge of the region, languages, cultures and people to bear, and apply it to good effect. So, joining the lod buffers' club, I want warmly to recommend to you the thoughts of Ivor Roberts: What is sauce for the Kosovo goose is sauce for the South Ossetian...