Brian Barder's website

Entries in August, 2008

What are Washington’s aims in Georgia?

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

“Richard T” has posted a fascinating comment on my “Kosovo-Georgia Connection” post of 21 August, speculating that the principal motive behind American wooing of Georgia and sponsorship of Georgia for NATO membership may be to secure bases from which US and perhaps Israeli aircraft could attack Iran without needing to overfly any Arab country.  This [...]

The Kosovo-Georgia connection

Thursday, August 21st, 2008

In writing about Kosovo and Georgia, I am handicapped by having no first-hand experience of the area, apart from having served in Moscow in the early 1970s, including a brief visit to Georgia during that time. So it’s reassuring to find that someone with perhaps more extensive first-hand knowledge of the Balkans than almost any [...]

Georgia and Russia: the widening transatlantic gap (with 18 August update)

Saturday, August 16th, 2008

It's increasingly depressing to observe what appears to be a steadily widening gap between the reactions to the Georgia crisis in the US and those of liberal and other opinion in Europe, revealing fundamental differences of political philosophy and perception (please see some initial observations on the issues here and the comments appended to them). 
One [...]

Georgia and Russia: delusions and realities

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

Some lessons from western mistakes in its policies towards Russia, Georgia, secessionist movements, and spheres of influence [More >>>]

What is, or was, the Labour Party for?

Saturday, August 9th, 2008

What does or should the Labour Party stand for? Some preliminary suggestions [More >>>]

Thoughts on this and (especially) that

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

Reflections on Gordon Brown, votes at 16, the double high commissioner appointment, MPs on government gagging of ex-diplomats, the Olympic Follies and the US elections [More >>>]

Vote for your top ten blogs

Saturday, August 2nd, 2008

Vote for your ten favourite UK politics blogs by e-mail to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com [More >>>]