To understand the Russian-Georgian conflict it is necessary to stand back from the detail and identify the longer term historical trends. These include:
1.For some time there has been an undeclared war being waged over access to the oil and gas reserves of Central Asia. Russia(Gazprom)has been largely successful in tying up deals with the various republics.
There are rival schemes for pipelines sponsered by Russia and the US eg South Stream and Nabucco.One pipeline designed to avoid Russian territory has been established through Georgia (Baku- Tbilisi-Ceyhan)
2.Post Cold War, rather than dismantling NATO, in a spirit of triumphalism ,the US has pushed NATO further and further into Eastern Europe.With Georgia going to extreme lengths to secure membership, Russia feels encircled.
3. At the same time , the US has abandoned the Cold War nuclear arms agreements(MAD-mutually assured destruction),and ,instead ,opted for the terrifying doctrine of "nuclear primacy". Implementing this involves establishing the missile bases in Eastern Europe, which Russia believes are designed to stimy its nuclear capacity.
4. There are also dangerous ideological impulses , locally ( like Ossetia) and globally. Europe feels threatened by a Russian monopoly of energy supplies.On the other side, Russia fears it is back to the bad old days of encirclement. But it is now off its knees,
inspired by alarming nationalism and not a little paranoia, which derives from the series of invasions it has suffered.
5. The global conflict over oil and gas also includes China and Iran.
6. WW1 started in not dissimilar circumstances.
Leslie

Ivan

You say:

"We may recall the genesis of the current situation was precipitated by the 1918-1920 Georgian-Ossetian conflict. Later, in 1922 the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast was created after Soviet occupation of Georgia."

Well, actually I don't recall. Perhaps someone could explain.

I think the Ossetians are pawns in the struggle between Russian imperialism and US imperialism.

My inclination, apart from the overthrow of the economic system which underpins imperialism, would be to call for independence for Ossetia (both North and South), ie independence from both Russia and the US proxy, Georgia, and the establishment of an independent Ossetian state.

PASSY - Quote "In 1922 the South Ossetian Oblast(section),was created when the Soviets marched in and occupied Georgia."

Sounds very similar to what happened in Ireland when the British marched in and set up British enclaves in the 16th century.
We all know of the bloody territorial attacks against the British settlers (the protestants) by the IRA. The British army then came to the rescue like the Russians have come to the rescue of their settlers in Southern Ossetia. America has used the hatred of the Russian occupiers in Ossetia by the Georgians to make use of an oil pipeline through Georgia. Thats why America is condeming the Russians for this.

Same old same old, territorial conflicts, just like the territorial conflict between the Arabs and the Jews.