Georgia vs South Ossetia: 100-year conflict

UPDATE Aug 12: listening now to NPR’s MarketPlace and they’re talking about Russia’s motives concerning Georgia – that Putin wants to control other resources besides oil and gas – he also wants control of GRAINS. See notes on Ceres and Demeter at the end of this post!

~original post starts here~ ~

Like most bellybutton-gazing Americans I’m way behind on the history of the region now ignited.

So far, the best background info I’ve found is Russia Today’s August 11 article, ‘Georgia vs South Ossetia: roots of a 100-year conflict’ here:

http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28654

NPR is reporting at noon that Russia has opened a second front. Saakashvili is saying that ethnic cleansing is going on, Wake Up, World. McCain is urging Bush to dispatch Condi Rice to the region ~like Bush couldn’t think of it himself in this macabre political farce in which innocent people pay with their lives.~ And the DOW is up, btw.)

Bush is flying back to the US now from what was “likely his last trip to Asia while in office.” That Bush would think to open his gob about anyone else using force to impose ‘peace’ has to be a clue that this is political theater, dahlink – hiding the real deal made behind the scenes. 

Perhaps it’s more instructive to listen to what they DO and not to what they say.

So last evening (just for curiosity’s sake) I consulted my set of The Century Cyclopedia, 1898 edition, and looked up ‘Abkhazia’ in the Book of Proper Names finding this entry from 110 years years ago:

“Abkhasia: A region, not an administrative division, on the southern slope of the Caucasus, having an area of about 3,000 miles. It was permanently subjugated by Russia in 1864. Population: about 80,000.”

No entry for Ossetia, South or North in 1898.

The entry for ‘Georgia’ says that the area is “almost identical to the ancient Iberia” and that it was conquered by Alexander the Great (who may be understandably rolling over in his tomb with the current goings-on) but that Georgia “soon after his death became an independent kingdom. It was at its height about 1200, and had a flourishing literature. It was sub-divided in the beginning of the fifteenth century, and was annexed by Russia in *1801. The Georgians are a very handsome race, of the purest Caucasian type.”

Well, that’s a time capsule from 1898 for you, antique racial comments and all!

~:~

*1801: asteroid Ceres was discovered Jan 1, 1801 – notably the date that Ireland was united with Great Britain thus creating a useable natal chart for the UK. Ceres, Roman goddess of the grain and Earth Mother, is now considered in Mundane Astrology to be a significator of national security, ecology, food resources, and of course, as The Mother archetype, of nurturing and safety.

Ceres’ Greek counterpart is Demeter whose origin is Indo-European. Demeter has been associated more with the Earth Mother, and Ceres primarily with grain. The ‘Cerealia’ on April 19 was the chief festival of Ceres. (‘New Insights into Astrology,’ Nona Gwynn Press.)