Georgia: Emergency petition

[Ladywriter 7,783]

The conflict in Georgia is spinning out of control. Russian troops have moved deep inside the country in what looks not far short of full-scale invasion, and tens of thousands of civilians are in danger, with many becoming refugees overnight.

Diplomats are scrambling to find a solution, and the European Union has proposed a ceasefire and withdrawal of all forces to their previous positions. China has also called for an "Olympic Truce", an ancient tradition that asks all countries to cease hostilities during the Olympic Games.

A humbled Georgia has agreed to the ceasefire, now French and Finnish foreign ministers are bringing the proposal to Moscow. In the next 48 hours, a massive global public outcry would show Russian and Georgian leaders that the world wants a ceasefire, and continuing the invasion would seriously damage Russia's international reputation. Click below to sign our emergency petition and then forward this email to your friends and family. We'll publicize the petition in the media and deliver it to the UN Security Council and Russian government:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/georgia_ceasefire_now

Russia and Georgia have a long history of tensions, but the recent hostilities were sparked over a small region called South Ossetia, which is seeking separation from Georgia. For years South Ossetia has had de facto autonomy, but after clashes between Ossete militia and Georgian troops, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili ordered the army to occupy the small province. The Russian army immediately responded by driving the Georgian army out, bombing targets, attacking towns and taking control of large swathes of territory deep within Georgia.

History teaches us that small wars easily spark larger ones. Saakashvili has applied to join NATO, angering Russian Prime Minister Putin, who may be using the invasion to forcibly remove the Georgian leader from power. If Russia tries to remove a democratically elected President by force, the conflict could escalate dangerously, as Georgia is a close ally of the United States. The Georgian and South Ossetian people could become victims of a great global contest for power in the oil rich region.

Wars get more vicious and harder to end the longer they last. The best time to stop this one is right now -- let's act now, and help make a ceasefire the first step in a peaceful, negotiated solution to the root causes of conflict in this troubled region.

With hope,

Ricken, Iain, Veronique, Graziela, Brett, Paul, Pascal, Milena and the whole Avaaz team

PS - here are some links for more information on this conflict, and a link to learn more about Avaaz campaigns:

For more information about Avaaz campaigns:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/report_back_2

For more background on the conflict in Georgia:

International Crisis Group: “War in Georgia” --

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=5623&l=1

BBC: “Georgia-Russia Conflict” -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/europe/2008/georgia_russia_conflict/default.stm

Financial Times: “Russia is forfeiting its world standing” --

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/90c9bd3c-6805-11dd-8d3b-0000779fd18c.html

The European Union proposes a ceasefire:

Moscow Times: “Europe takes lead in bid to resolve conflict” --

http://www.moscowtimes.ru/article/600/42/369718.htm

IHT: “ Europe taking a diplomatic approach to Caucasus conflict” --

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/11/europe/diplo.php

[Zepling 100]

Both sides are using the people of South Ossetia as political pawns. Neither Georgia nor Russia are in the right here and it's so sad to see. And John McCain's speech saying that "we're all Georgians" is just sickening. How can he condemn the Russians for a reactionary strike, when we have invaded Iraq on a pre-empitive whim? He just wants to protect the pipeline that runs through Georgia, not Georgia itself.

[slippers 3,168]

Russian troops have moved deep inside the country in what looks not far short of full-scale invasion, and tens of thousands of civilians are in danger, with many becoming refugees overnight.

Fox News wanted to blame Russia for the aggression but the 12 year old girl who visited her relative in Georgia during her vacation actually corrected him and thanked Russian troops for saving them from bombing which came from Georgian troops.

[Zepling 100]

Fox News wanted to blame Russia for the aggression but the 12 year old girl who visited her relative in Georgia during her vacation actually corrected him and thanked Russian troops for saving them from bombing which came from Georgian troops.

Great video. Sheppard Smith is such an asshole. Check this one out (unrelated)

Anyway, I'm tired of our media always jumping on Russia. I'm not saying they're the humanitarians of the century but they helped MANY Latin American countries out when the U.S. was stomping all over them. And Russian TV is telling the story from BOTH sides of the conflict, not just their own, unlike what the U.S. is doing right now in their coverage. The Georgian government is just as corrupt as the Russian one and should not be put on a pedestal. Condi was talking about how the U.S. supports the Georgian government unwaveringly and it really grinds my gears. IF we want to help, we should offer our sympathies to the people who are directly effected by this, not to the Georgian government.