It was the most direct threat to come out of weeks of rising rhetoric between the two nations. At the heart of the dispute are the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia - two areas that revolted against Georgian rule in the early 90's and have enjoyed a de facto independence ever since.
But leaders in both the separatist territories fear that the Georgians are planning to use military force to retake Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The Russians, who have maintained peacekeeping forces in both places have sent in more troops in recent weeks. They said the flight over South Ossetia was in response to a build up of Georgian forces - a move they thought was the start of an invasion.
Georgia claimed the Russians violated their sovereignty by flying over what they feel is part of their country. What the Georgians fail to mention are repeated flights over Abkhazia by their military in the past two months - a violation of the cease-fire agreement between Abkhazia and Georgia. It seems that neither side can claim to be totally innocent here.
It may all sound like some kind of international soap opera. The problem is when nations keep ratcheting up the tension, like Russia and Georgia are doing; things can quickly spin out of control. And the United States has stuck itself firmly in the middle of this mess.
The Russian flight came at the same time Secretary of State Condi Rice was visiting Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi. The US has taken Georgia on as a close ally in the region. Why? Because of oil.
Georgia plays host to the only oil and gas pipelines from the rich Caspian Sea region that do not run through Russian territory. The US is keen to have an access route to that oil and gas outside of Russian control, so we have taken on Georgia as a strong ally in the region - much to the annoyance of Russia, which still views the nations that once made up the Soviet Union as being in their circle of influence.
The US is also pushing hard for Georgia's entry into NATO - both to solidify our relationship with them and as a part of some, frankly outdated thinking about the world. During the Cold War the United States followed a policy we called 'containment' regarding the Soviet Union, the idea was to circle the Soviet Union with strong military allies to keep the Soviet influence from spreading. Unfortunately our foreign policy makers (like Dr. Rice) seem to think this is a good policy to follow in regards to Russia, even though the business of spreading the world socialist revolution ended with the Soviet Union.
If anything these harsh words between Georgia and Russia are exactly why Georgia should NOT be made a member of NATO anytime soon, not until the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are resolved and relations with Russia are repaired. Not unless you like the idea of a war between the US and Russia.
No comments:
Post a Comment