Mike says: Russia agreed to the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. All 15 Soviet Republics became independent states, and for the past 18 years Russia has not taken any military action to threaten the independent sovereignty of any of those states.

Well, this is the year Nineteen after which comes the year Zero, on Vlad the Putin’s Calendar. I hope not but there are signs. And tank tracks.

It is good to get the South Ossetian point of view, though. But why would the Georgians obliterate Tskhinvali when the Russians are so much better at that sort of thing?

The gyre is widening, but Putin’s the guy to close it. You say Mere anarchy is loosed on the world? Well, there ain’t nothing mere about it. And as Reuters would put it: one man’s anarchy is another man’s emerging global consensus.