Why Kosovo OK, Ossetia & Abkhazia No Way?

It's an old story but in context with the recent declaration of independence by Kosovo, it sheds a very bright light on how double standards rule this world.

In November 2006 around 90% of the population of the tiny republic of South Ossetia, formally within Georgia, de facto a Russian protectorate, voted for independence. Same did the Republic of Abkhazia, Russia's biggest supplier of oranges and mandarins.

This year, shortly after the Kosovan fallout, those two appealed to the UN only to be duly ignored.

From the historical point of view those breakaway republics have just as much right for secession as the former Yugoslavian republics. They were made a part of Georgia through a series of enlargements made by Russian rulers from the Tsars to Stalin to reward Georgia for her long-standing loyalty. Now as the loyalties have switched, so the lose confederation of unrelated peoples of Georgia.

Georgia , however, enjoys an unconditional Western support as part of the Russia containment policy - the strategy of surrounding it with hostile states or conflict zone, very much like it is being done against China.

So after all, it's about holding each other by the balls, and not supporting tender fledgling nations for the sake of brotherly love and good will.