BBC: Russians losing propaganda war (against Bush)

[Kire]

Source: BBC

Russians losing propaganda war

By Paul Reynolds
World affairs correspondent, BBC News

The Bush administration appears to be trying to turn a failed military operation by Georgia into a successful diplomatic operation against Russia.

It is doing so by presenting the Russian actions as aggression and playing down the Georgian attack into South Ossetia on 7 August, which triggered the Russian operation.

Yet the evidence from South Ossetia about that attack indicates that it was extensive and damaging.

Blame game

The BBC's Sarah Rainsford has reported: "Many Ossetians I met both in Tskhinvali and in the main refugee camp in Russia are furious about what has happened to their city.

"They are very clear who they blame: Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili, who sent troops to re-take control of this breakaway region."

Human Rights Watch concluded after an on-the-ground inspection: "Witness accounts and the timing of the damage would point to Georgian fire accounting for much of the damage described ."

One problem for the Russians is that they have not yet learned how to play the media game.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7562611.stm

[Xipe Totec]

1. Russia is living in 1968, while the USA is living in 1984. nt

[AntiFascist]

2. US media - the new Pravda n/t

[grassfed]

3. for "bush admin" read nbc abc cbs cnn msnbc cnbc nyt wash post lat...

[Tempest]

4. Russia doesn't have to play the propaganda game

The west is impotent to do anything about it.

Europe needs Russia's natural gas and won't rock the boat; the U.S. can re-supply Georgia, but South Ossetia and Abkhazia are lost to them as they plan on pushing for independence; Poland can get missiles from the U.S. but can't stop Russia from pointing an equal number or more at them; other nations who rely on the U.S. for support now know they can't count on the U.S. to step in; Russia can continue to arm Iran and develop its nuclear capabilities; Russia has veto power in the U.N. and China is laughing its ass off at the entire affair.

[jimlup]

11. Yeah, I agree

The Russians don't have to answer to western propaganda.

[unblock]

5. the initiative gained after blundering away your bishop is rarely worth it

unless this was all some deep gambit, which i HIGHLY doubt, this was just a blunder, pure and simple, and all shrub can do is whine about russia capturing the piece we blundered away. that's no diplomatic victory. that's just a loser trying to garner sympathy for losing.

[stillcool]

6. Bush etal, have been winning

the propaganda game for a long time now. Whatever is said on the tv is accepted as relevant if not true, and worthy of discussion ad nauseam. What the hell, maybe John Edwards can catch a break now.

[go west young man]

7. So true. I believe the U.S. is suffering from a nationwide psychosis

at this point. It's stunning how many DU'ers believe the Bush/MSM hype this time around. You'd figure after Iraq and the last 8 years people would turn the TV's off instead we all seem to be still sucking up the drivel they give us. Sad times. Seems Cheney and his friends are getting their cold war 2 after all. But only because the American people are so gullible and content with misinformation.

[sourmilk]

8. Well, they haven't lost it yet...

But reports of paramilitary harassment, looting and violence might lose it for them if the overall Georgian security situation does not improve...

What I find strange is Saakashitvili and KindaSleezy are demanding Russia adhere to some new US-Georgian cease-fire proposal...is it just my imagination, or has Russia even LOOKED at this proposal yet?

[Joe Chi Minh]

9. Putin has a natural dignity. Did you see the photo of him with the Russian

Olympic athletes? Maybe they have just a tad more probity. On the other hand, I expect they have taken lying Western propaganda as a given since the Russian Revolution.

Why should they care? If they did, I expect they would probably ridicule Western leaders for restarting the Cold War, so their mic could keep plundering the pubic purse. They must know that's what it was about.

Had to laugh at one of our Brightest and Best, perhaps Miliband, saying that they had warned the Russians that if they didn't behave (not verbatim!) they would be excluded from some very import gatherings among the other Western nations. I doubled up with laughter because it immediately reminded me of an Irish racehorse, called Portant Fella!

[bhikkhu]

10. Not with me. The BBC, NPR, MSM, etc all suck on this one

I don't think I have heard so much crap on a legitimate news topic since the month before and after GWII.