Russia vs. Georgia vs. South Ossetia
Mt 18:23-35; substitute “secession” for “debt.” There is also a question of political philosophy here. Just as Georgia had the right to become independent from Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, so South Ossetia has the right to be independent of Georgia, if its citizens choose so. But the interesting question is, should Russia have intervened to crush the anti-secessionist Georgia? I think that if there was a defense pact between Russia and SO or if SO wanted to become part of Russia, then a case can be made that Georgian attempts to conquer or keep SO constitute aggression and a defensive action is justified. But war maneuvers should be restricted to the territory of SO; the Russian troops should not be allowed to invade Georgia but merely to push all Georgian troops out of SO and permanently ensure the safety of that country, e.g., by building a base or series of bases within it staffed with Russian and South Ossetian soldiers. It is both imprudent and morally wrong to start a major war over the rights of a small region, however inalienable.
For example, if some sort of world government existed during the War between the States, having the world military attack the Northern states in order to allow the South to secede would probably have been a bad idea.