@coisty:
they are planted mines….argue that South Ossetians should be forced to live under Georgian rule just because of where Stalin drew lines on a map?

Actually, on the South slopes of the Greater Causcasus, the few “Ossetians” there were originally migrant farm workers, even under Stalin. Stalin simply continued the Czarist practice of moving client populations into other populations’ territories for the express purpose of giving his forces a “political” excuse to go in and kick anyone’s butts anytime He wanted. Ossetians were a compliant and easily moved pawn in this game from the beginnings of Czarist manipulations of the Caucasus. Plus, they were lots less trouble than the Cossack tribes, albeit much less vicious.

No, there are few Ossettians in South Ossettia. There are many soloviki, however, masquerading as “Ossettians”. Soloviki, are, of course, by and large ethnic Russians, the same ones buying up the Riviera and Brooklyn. We call them the Russian Mafia.