Blackened, gutted and surrounded by rubble, Russia's peacekeeping base sits atop a hill outside Tskhinvali, a burnt-out tank at the entrance. Inside, Vladimir Ivanov, an aide to the commander of the Russian peacekeeping force for the South Ossetian capital, stood by the ruins last week, telling his story as he gestured across the valley to where Georgian and Russian troops fought earlier this month.

Captain Ivanov is one of a handful of people, some Russian, some Georgian and some American, whose recollections will determine how the history of this short war is written and, ultimately, whose actions can be vindicated. Which version prevails will be crucial in the next, more subtle phase in the conflict: the political and diplomatic battle in which the truth will be the primary weapon wielded by governments to achieve their aims.