Beeman, an anthropologist specializing in the Middle East and Central Asia, is strongest at placing Georgia's current plight in a historical context with regard to both the Soviet Union and recent dealings with the U.S. and Israel. Below I've a link to another article in which he mentions the oil pipeline through Georgia. It's at his blog where he provides copies of other of his writings and where they were published. I would have liked to have known how recent and the extent of his ... More »

This is a very mixed piece. On the one hand, it has some fascinating historical information that really puts the Russia/Georgia conflict in perspective. Read it for that. On the other it falls down on the current events, despite the fact that the author has lived and worked in the region for 30 years. He's exactly right about the tensions in the region and some of the reasons behind them. But he's left a few out, such as Russia's need for warm-water ports. He also claims, without any ... More »

It is good to hear from this author on this subject. Beeman is an anthropologist who has been prolific in writing for public audiences about complex cultural / political dimensions of current conflicts. So, he brings a well seasoned judgement to analysis of historical / political contexts to current geopolitical dramas--drawing out dimensions that are far too hidden in current US mainstream media. While I agree with other reviewers that he could have more effectively sourced this ... More »

News and very clear....this is the reason the Internet is good for finding out what is behind the bull dished out by MSM. Historic perspective, names names, not afraid to tell it like it is.

This is William O. Beeman, the author of this piece. Thanks to others for the comments on my article, which has been well received internationally. I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that the article was published in New America Media, which syndicates to a wide variety of news outlets. The article url is <http: news.newamericamedia.org="" news="" view_article.html?article_id="be0c1714ee6d115a328ec24b7d081e62&amp;from=rss"> A few random resposes. It is impossible in a limited format to ... More »