“So the Russians view you as the American side, even though there are no Americans here.”

“Yes,” she said. “Because our way is for democracy.”

I laughed out loud when I read that. Why? Because after reading his Balkan stuff I figured he’d go to Georgia and find pro-democracy pro-American Georgians just like he found America-loving Albanians. He went there to find America-loving Muslims (no doubt to justify his ideological outlook) and ugly Serbs then happily reported back that he had found some. He basically gave us the usual MSM view of Serbia. (Anyone who reports on Kosovo without mentioning the results of the investigations into the fabricated genocide charges is nothing more than a propagandist). Totten makes his mind up before going to a place then seeks confirmation.

I wonder if he is naive enough to actually believe the woman’s statement.

It reminds me of my childhood in Northern Ireland where Loyalists/Republicans told different foreign visitors different things depending on what was likely to these foreigners to sympathise with their side.

But apparently even rank-and-file Russian soldiers view the Georgians and Americans as allies.

More likely the Russians see the Georgians as American lapdogs. The Russians are not alone in thinking that.