Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The Georgia Hypocrisy
The Georgia Hypocrisy
By Steven Plaut
So let's see if we have this straight.
The entire world is horrified at Russian behavior. The Russians invent a new
'nation' in need of self-determination, all as a ploy to break up Georgia. The
Russians scream about the mistreatment of the Ossetians and never mind human
rights abuses inside Russia, especially in Chechnya. The Russians coordinate
moves by separatists inside Georgia to serve as justification for their own
invasion. The Russians preach human rights and self-determination as a ploy to
engage in aggression. Hmmm, where have we heard that before?
The story brings to mind immediately two historic parallels. The first is the
campaign by Nazi Germany on behalf of 'self-determination' for the Sudeten
Germans inside Czechoslovakia in the 1930s. For details see this:
http://www.meforum.org/article/459. Germany also invented a 'people' in need
of self-determination inside the small state it had designs on, invented claims
of human rights abuses, and then used the separatist activities of the Sudetens
as an excuse to invade and demolish in stages Czechoslovakia. Never mind that
human rights were respected a zillion times better inside Czechoslovakia than
inside Nazi Germany. Never mind that ethnic Germans already had their own
sovereign countries they could migrate to if they were unhappy in the Sudeten
areas of Czechoslovakia.
The other historic parallel concerns the invention of a 'Palestinian people.'
The Arabs use the 'Palestinian' separatist movement the exact same way that
Russia uses the Ossetian separatists. The Arabs and their apologists invent
tales of 'human rights abuses' by Israel of 'Palestinians' much like Russia
invents stories about Georgian mistreatment of Ossetians. Never mind that the
human rights of Arabs inside Israel are respected infinitely better than are
those of Arabs inside Arab countries, and the non-Arabs inside Arab countries
are treated even worse. The world whines about Israeli 'apartheid,' whereas in
reality Israel is the only Middle East regime that is NOT an apartheid regime.
In fact, the Georgians did sometimes mistreat the Ossetians and the Ossetians
have a far stronger case for self-determination than the 'Palestinians. The
Ossetians speak their own language unrelated to that of their neighbors and
have their own culture. In comparison, the 'Palestinians' are less different
culturally and less distinct linguistically from the Arabs in Jordan, Lebanon
and Syria (whence most of them migrated into 'Palestine' in the late 19th and
early 20th century) than Californians are from other Americans.
If the world is horrified at Russian aggression and behavior towards Georgians,
why are so many of these same people not horrified at Arab aggression towards
Israel and behavior identical to that of Russia? Why are those who pooh-pooh
the claims of a right to self-determination by Ossetians not dismissing as a
similar Sudeten-style ploy the demands for 'Palestinian self-determination?'
Why are Palestinians, who enjoy treatment far better than that of the Ossetians
and the Chechens, the focus of countless media exposes about their imaginary
mistreatment by Israel?
And where are all those solidarity protesters? How come the same
'International Solidarity Movement' protesters who like to attack Israeli
troops and police and to serve as 'human shields' to protect the po'
Palestinian 'victims' of Israeli self-defense not rushing to Ossetia and
Georgia to stand up to the Russian troops, throwing rocks at them and singing
Kun-Ba-Ya? Where are the leftist human shield blocking Russian (and Georgian)
military vehicles the same way they block Israeli Defense Forces operations?
Are they afraid they will not be served the same nice gourmet lattes they get
when Israeli forces apprehend them for hooliganism in the West Bank?
Why are the leftists not organizing ships to break the Russian blockade of the
Georgia coast the same way they are trying to provide sea-borne aid to the
Hamas in Gaza? Where are the Rachel Corries and why are they not challenging
Russian bulldozer crews? Why are the Anarchists against the Wall not hopping
planes to Tbilisi to challenge Russian construction crews erecting walls in
Abkhazia and Ossetia? Why are the Israeli leftist professors not holding
pro-Ossetian poetry readings and solidarity rallies in Tbilisi?
Leftist hypocrisy seems to have no limits!
