Wingz'ie, long-story short...
S. Ossetia is
actually a part of Republic of Georgia. However, this area has a sizable population of separatist and Russian sympathizers.
Republic of Georgia is very strategic to the
West due to it's location. So how coveted is this land/territory from a geographical perspective? It's pretty damn valuable, as Hitler gambled away his army and war fortunes for this area.
So what does it mean for the West?
- access to shipping-routes for trade & natural resources, namely oil/natural-gas pipelines headed to the European mainland
- defensive initiatives via NATO in regards to Russia, Iran, and Central Asian Republics
The oil/natural-gas from the Eastern Caucasus isn't destined for the U.S. It's primarily meant for Europe. To keep U.S. led NATO a reality, European countries need to be kept happy w/ stable economies satiated w/ energy. Hence, the friendly demeanor & diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Georgia.
To stir-up the pot, Russia provided the citizens of S. Ossetia w/ Russian passports.
Georgia's recent initiative (ie. military maneuvers) in S. Ossetia was an internal matter for the most part, to settle unrest and deal w/ the separatist factions. That is until Russia got involved. . .