[Printer Friendly Version]   [How to E-mail This Article to A Friend]

AROUND THE WORLD 1: Trouble Brewing in Georgia

On Thursday, July 8, an armed raid on peacekeepers in a small village caused Georgia to have its troops poised for action. This didn't happen in the state of Georgia below South Carolina. Instead, it happened in the country of Georgia, which is located south of Russia in Eastern Europe. The raid took place in South Ossetia, a province in Georgia that borders with Russia and declares itself separate. Though skirmishes in the region are common, they have not escalated to this point in quite some time.

Ossetian gunmen disarmed between 30 and 40 Georgian peacekeepers. Television cameras watched the whole event unfold, and the separatist government said this would be the first in a string of similar actions. Georgia's president seemed confident that he could reclaim the province, which declared itself independent in the early 1990s. Moscow said everything was currently under control.

In reality, the whole situation appears to be a giant triangle of conflicts. Russia is located above Georgia, and South Ossetia is in the north, between the two countries. All countries have a joint peacekeeping force for the region, but with different goals. Georgia wants to integrate South Ossetia. South Ossetia wants independence, and they got a little nearly a decade ago with the help of Russia. And Russia, the big peace broker in the region, is suspected of taking sides with Ossetians, who want to sever ties with Georgia.

This isn't the only problematic area of Georgia. Insurgencies came almost right away with its independence when, in 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved into states. Tensions usually have to do with the ethnic makeup of different regions, but Russia still has the most control and power in that part of the world. Neither country wants this to get violent, but for now they will have to wait and watch.

--Written by Kari Elassal

Write your own story telling us what you think about this article!

Read AROUND THE WORLD 2: Brazil Will Launch Rocket