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 in-country experience, as he is a U.S. academic now at U. Minnesota and previously at Brown. Thanks, Chris for submitting this. I was curious about your pointing out Beeman's opinion stated as fact that "Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia are among the ... 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 article, he has a good past track record of scholarship that makes me less worried about that [e.g., well regarded book T"he “Great Satan” vs. the “Mad Mullahs”: How the United States and Iran Demonize Each Other" ]. His argument re/ the role of US ... 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 support that these former Soviet republics are among the most corrupt in the world. I can think of at least three that would at least give them a run for their money and wonder how he came to this conclusion. So, while the ending is weak, overall ... 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 cover ancillary issues such as Russian drive for a warm water port. I was last in the Caucasian region in 2007. One can talk about relative corruption, but I should point out that Transparency International, who publishes the annual assessment of ... More »