Below The Beltway

Let’s just say that this isn’t exactly the rebirth of the Cold War:
Washington - Following a series of provocative attacks in its secessionist region of South Ossetia late last week, Georgia launched an all-out attempt to reestablish control in the tiny enclave. Russia then intervened by dropping bombs on Georgia to protect the South Ossetians, [...]

From the John McCain for President campaign:
It’s this campaign’s position that every American has a “vested interest” in the welfare of the Republic of Georgia, a key regional ally and a member of our Coalition in Iraq. Georgia is a small, democratic state which has seen its sovereignty violated by a much larger pseudo-democracy. If [...]

Apparently, the junta in Myanmar doesn’t have much of a sense of humor:
YANGON, Myanmar — A popular Myanmar comedian, who had been carrying out a private campaign to help the victims of Cyclone Nargis, has been detained by police, his friends said Thursday.
The comedian, Maung Thura, 47, better known by his stage name Zarganar, or [...]

Tanks, missiles and Soviet-style military parades returned to Red Square for today’s celebration of the 63rd anniversary of the end of World War II:
MOSCOW (AP) — Missiles, tanks and other heavy weaponry rolled through Moscow’s Red Square in the annual Victory Day parade Friday, reviving a tradition of the Soviet era and demonstrating Russia’s growing [...]

President Bush is in Ukraine today and endorsed the idea of expanding NATO to include both Ukraine and the former Soviet Republic of Georgia:
KIEV, Ukraine, April 1 — President Bush championed expansion of NATO further into the former Soviet Union on Tuesday and declared that Russia “will not have a veto” over the alliance’s decision [...]

Over at Slate, Anne Applebaum wonders why the Russians bother to hold elections:
Why did anyone bother holding an election at all? Given that the inner circle of ex-KGB officers that controls the Kremlin also controls the country’s media, its legal system, its parliament, and its major companies, why do they need elections? Why didn’t Vladimir [...]

Perhaps it was inevitable, but it’s fairly clear that Russians are giving up on the idea that they live in a democracy:
ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia, March 2 — Voters slogged through cold rain and mud Sunday to cast their ballots at Precinct No. 1619 on Pushkin Street here, though many expressed feelings about the state of democracy [...]

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but Dimitri Medvedev has been elected to succeed incoming Prime Minister power behind the throne Vladimir Putin:
MOSCOW, March 2 — After 24 hours of voting across 11 time-zones, Russians handed Dmitry Medvedev an overwhelming victory in the presidential election Sunday despite a lackluster campaign that was more coronation than [...]

Not that it should come as a surprise:
MOSCOW — Dmitri A. Medvedev, Russia’s first deputy prime minister and the presumptive successor to President Vladimir V. Putin, on Monday committed the Kremlin to long-term support in backing Serbia against an independent Kosovo.
Mr. Medvedev appeared in Belgrade, the Serbian capital, with Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica. It [...]

Russia has just escalated the war of words over Kosovo’s independence from Serbia:
(CNN) — Russia has not ruled out using force to resolve the dispute over Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia if NATO forces breach the terms of their U.N. mandate, Moscow’s ambassador to NATO warned on Friday.
“If the EU works out a single [...]