Information warfare around Tskhinvali

At the global information space information war began. It is conducted on television, in newspapers, on the Internet. Watching the chaos Ossetian personnel, Western journalists are struggling to figure out who is fighting whom. While most comes to mind only one explanation: Russia against Georgia.

TV Company "Bi-bi-si" starts its news block with the announcement that Russian planes bombed the Georgian city of Gori. In place of a correspondent, it - body armor. We hear tears.



"What you hear now - another Russian air raids - shouts a foreign reporter. - Objectives - military bases in the city, here are three of them, and they are located thousands of Georgian troops ».

In the frames of the Georgian soldiers in the form of a panic looking for shelter. The tone of the reporter - sympathetic. Information about what is happening in Tskhinvali, will go to the issue later. The first news is always more important than the second, and to understand it, do not need to read books on journalism.

The English press is not particularly attracted to the variety of estimates, here's the headline of the British newspaper Times: «Russia brought down the power of his car in the neighboring Georgia." In the text - a fear that if the Kremlin will get advantage over Georgia, will be threatened other former Soviet republics.

Colleagues from the United Kingdom echoed by authoritative American newspaper Washington Post. Editorial column titled as follows: "Stopping Russia, the US and its allies must unite against Moscow's attacks on Georgia».

"If you leave without the help of Georgia and its fragile democratic Rose Revolution, it would be a terrible signal to other former Soviet countries and the countries of the Warsaw Pact, which, to the indignation of Moscow, have reached or are on the way to democracy and a fully independent foreign policy. The West has made this mistake before and does not have to repeat it "- writes Washington Post.

Do the inhabitants of the ocean view of the distant war consists only of news releases. Tbilisi is well aware, the focus for foreign journalists remains Mikhail Saakashvili. Even referring to his own people, he says, in English, that colleagues do not spend time on translation. The most quoted him as saying in the foreign press - a fragment of yesterday's exclusive interview CNN.

"This is an attack on Afghanistan in 1979. It's like Czechoslovakia when Soviet tanks entered it. If they will do the same with Georgia, the whole world is in danger, "- Saakashvili urges journalists.

To enhance the effect of spoken words are the facts, or, more precisely, what it considers the facts of the Georgian military command. On Friday, they were talking about a downed Russian plane on Saturday - the ten, it is possible that on Sunday we will hear the hundreds. Not many viewers and readers suspect that their consciousness is subjected to a bombardment that Ossetian villages. Only instead of shells - words and sentences.

"Last night, the first Italian television channel gave information in a way that during the opening of the Beijing Olympics all were hoping for calm and peace. And then comes Russia against Georgia! That kind of information is necessary to listen to TV viewers in Italy, "- said the Italian MEP Giulietto Chiesa.

Continental Europe even geographically closer to the conflict than the United Kingdom or the United States. And evaluation in local media more balanced. That phrase from today's issue of the German Der Standard.

"Even if the military situation in South Ossetia seems confusing, but the first assessment is still possible: military escalation of the conflict is interested solely Georgia. Strategic actions of Russia were aimed at maintaining the status quo. Therefore, one should proceed from the fact that military escalation occurred two nights ago at the initiative of Georgia ", - writes Der Standard.

European newspapermen could not pay attention to the fact that during a televised address Saakashvili sets behind him the flag of the European Union. Here is the opinion of the Italian La Stampa.

"This is an exaggeration, because Georgia is not part of Europe - the newspaper notes. - Saakashvili, no doubt, did not act without consulting with its main benefactors - the United States. And if he started acting, he received the approval of Washington. Present otherwise, it means not to understand the weight of American influence in the present-day Georgia ».

For Saakashvili really opens up a very small window of opportunity to push through the West in December a decision on Georgia's accession to NATO. He understands that under George W. Bush it is possible. If Bush goes, and he will leave in December, will the new American president. And with him the issue of rapid entry into Georgia in NATO may become irrelevant and may be postponed for four or eight years.

The main tool in the psychological war waged by Georgia misinformation. On the tapes foreign news agencies recently appeared lightning: "Russian planes bombed an oil pipeline Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline." Link - a government source in Tbilisi.

In Georgia, local authorities decided to stop broadcasting of Russian TV channels. But the measure seemed to lack the Georgian leadership - Internet users in Georgia can not get on the Russian sites.