From Information Clearing House
By Mike Whitney

The confrontation between Russia and Georgia looks like a dust-up between neighbors over the arrest of 4 Russian officers accused of spying. In reality, it is a struggle between the Bush administration and Russian President Putin for control of Central Asia. The stakes couldn’t be higher and it appears as though the conflagration could go on for some time to come.

The standoff began last week when Georgia President Mikail Saakashvili arrested the 4 officers and charged them with espionage. Putin protested their detention to the UN and demanded their immediate release. He then phoned the White House and issued a terse warning that any actions taken by third parties (the Bush administration) would be considered encouragement of Georgia’s destructive policy and were unacceptable for peace and dangerous for the peace and stability of the region. (Itar-Tass News agency)

The phone call shows that Putin knows where the plan originated and who is ultimately responsible. It also illustrates how the relationship between Bush and Putin has steadily deteriorated and is increasingly adversarial.

Saakashvili has since retreated from his hard-line position and delivered the 4 officers to the care of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) The UN group then promptly returned the men to Russia. In the interim, the United States blocked a resolution that would have quickly resolved the dispute, a move which further angered Moscow.

So, what is going on here?

Read more Putin