I am a big fan of Bonhoeffer and came over this from the German theologian.

God sets out upon the humiliating path of reconciliation and thereby pronounces the world free. God wills to be guilty of our sin, and takes over the punishment and suffering

Now there is no godlessness, no hatred, no sin which God has not carried, suffered, and atoned. Now there is no reality, no world that is not reconciled and in peace with God. God did this in the beloved son Jesus Christ.

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Meditations on the Cross

I have been following the situation in Georgia with great sadness. A completely unnecessary war in every aspect. It is hard for a complete observer far from the center of the problem, try find a reason for it to start in the first place. The big picture is quite clear, Its the details that complicate things. That many innocent lives needed to be killed just to come to a stop a few days later is for me a mystery. Call me naive and living in a dream world, but there must be other ways to resolve this than military power?

A problem created by the west?

I would however like to put some of the blame on someone outside the whole conflict. The war started in a conflict that saw its daylight in 1992-93 in the midst of the old USSR falling apart. The international political scene has in many ways not dealt seriously enough with the fact that this big proud nation was falling apart. The warning signals have been there all the time. South Osstesia was one of these problem areas in the old Sovjet state. What the west certainly could have done was show the new Russia respect and leave them with some dignity and pride. In stead the west systematically has tried to oppose any Russian effort to regain peace in difficult areas by not offering much international help.

Who is to blame then?

At the same time Russia is to blame for wanting to use power and military force to solve these problems. And in this case to punish Georgia for going into what they claim is there own land. It is clearly not a solution. Tsjetsjnia

should prove my po int

in many ways. Hopefully South Ossetia and Abkhazia will not turn out to be a new Tsjetsjnia. See footage from the conflict here.

A bad peace is always better than a good war.

We can’t let little countries screw around with big companies like this—companies that have made big investments around the world.

- a Chevron lobbyist, who asked not to be identified, speaking about a lawsuit brought on behalf of thousands of Indigenous Ecuadorian peasants over the dumping of billions of gallons of toxic oil wastes into their region’ s river

s and streams. Chevron is pressuring the Bush administration to eliminate special trade preferences for Ecuador if its government doesn’t quash the case. (Source: Newsweek)

Referendum for independence

War has come to a new part of our world today. As in all wars, innocent lives are affected in tragic ways. This does not come as a surprise on any of the party’s involved in the conflict. Georgia has recently recalled its1000 man strong troops from Iraq to muster a stronger attack.

It is sad however that Georgia, Russia and South Ossetia can not come to a peaceful solution.

South Ossetians nearly unanimously approved a referendum on November 12 2006, opting for independence from Georgia. The referendum was hugely popular, winning between 98 and 99 percent of the ballots, flag waving and celebration marked were seen across South Ossetia, but elsewhere observers were less enthusiastic. International critics claimed that the move could worsen regional tensions, and the Tblisi government thoroughly discounted the results.

Russia wants to play a part in who South Ossetia belongs to. Russia wants it to be independant and Georgia wants it to be a part of Georgia.

Look to Abkhazia

Abkhazia a similar “country” within the borders of Georgia who have managed to live in peace with Georgia, whom they also belong to. One of the reasons for the war may be that Georgia is afraid that what is happening in South Ossetia, will also happen i Abkhazia.

We can only hope and pray peace, brotherhood and the willingness to listen to the people of Ossetia and Georgia, will win over pain and war.

As Thomas pointed out in a comment in a previous blog post of mine, aid to the third world is not working as many want, or even believe it does. He wrote;

“Aid and trade blocks have been used systematically by the west to keep foreign markets down and protect own industry. Yet it has no problems with selling its own goods in the third world, thus keeping it further down.

Trade not aid is a mantra heard from Africa and the third world, not from Europe.”

I Agree 100 % with him. (but not with the fact that shutting down Norad would help solve this problem.)

Aid gone wrong

Time reports in the their next issue that Ethiopia is a clear example of this being the case;

“Over time, sustained food aid creates dependence on handouts and shifts focus away from improving agricultural practices to increase local food supplies. Ethiopia exemplifies the consequences of giving a starving man a fish instead of teaching him to catch his own. This year the U.S. will give more than $800 million to Ethiopia: $460 million for food, $350 million for HIV/AIDS treatment — and just $7 million for agricultural development.

Western governments are loath to halt programs that create a market for their farm surpluses, but for countries receiving their charity, long-term food aid can become addictive. Why bother with development when shortfalls are met by aid? Ethiopian farmers can’t compete with free food, so they stop trying. Over time, there’s a loss of key skills, and a country that doesn’t have to feed itself soon becomes a country that can’t. All too often, its rulers use resources elsewhere — Ethiopia has one of Africa’s largest armies.”

what is the problem?

“Why do we get aid so wrong? Because it feels so right. “The American people,” says U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia Donald Yamamoto, “are simply not going to sit tight while they see children dying.” Nor should they: a starving man needs to be saved first, before he can be taught to fish — or farm. But as the world rallies again to Ethiopia’s aid, donors face a dilemma. “We’re not getting to the real problem,” says Yamamoto.”

Time sums up the piece like this;

“The sobering lesson: even the best efforts to eliminate hunger are expensive, slow and uncertain of success. Depressing as it may be, this may not be the last time Ethiopia needs help.”