Bruce is being a bit overly cute here--if not disingenuous. It is fairly clear that the serious friction started at the time of the fall of the USSR--when Georgia successfully prevented South Ossetia from staying with North Ossetia. North Ossetia, realizing it had more chance for a degree of autonomy under Russia than under Georgia, opted to do so. South Ossetia tried to do the same, but was stopped by Georgia. There were many deaths at the time--far more than in the August 2008 war.

If anybody has facts--not just wishful thinking--to the contrary, let's have them.