There is no such thing as partial freedom
The Olympics in China and events in Georgia are related. They demonstrate one government trying to look free and open and another demonstrating what happens when you only look free and open:
"Putin powerfully demonstrated that Russia decides whether oil and natural gas get from countries like Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to Europe and the rest of the world. In doing so, he trashed longstanding U.S. policy to nurture alternative pipelines to Europe that take a southern detour around Russia through Georgia and Turkey, without going through Iran."
From The Economist:
"Putin powerfully demonstrated that Russia decides whether oil and natural gas get from countries like Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to Europe and the rest of the world. In doing so, he trashed longstanding U.S. policy to nurture alternative pipelines to Europe that take a southern detour around Russia through Georgia and Turkey, without going through Iran."
From The Economist:
"If Mr Medvedev’s words are taken at face value, it seems the Kremlin has calculated that the benefit of inflicting further damage on Georgian forces, perhaps even physically evicting the detested Mr Saakashvili from power, was outweighed by the growing cost to Russia’s diplomatic position, and the burden of taking and occupying unambiguously sovereign Georgian territory."
The same holds true in China.
Reality really complicates things.
Update: Additional thoughts.
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