Taylor Marsh – TaylorMarsh.com – News, Opinion and Weblog on Progressive Politics

BY TAYLOR MARSH

Timing is everything. So this isn’t happening in a vacuum. The Olympics set
the stage for the opening, which is not being denied. Jerome
a Paris has more, including in the comment section, but his headline says a lot: Wannabe NATO member on
war path.

Georgia is a strong U.S. ally. South Ossetia is a pro-Russian breakaway section
of that region that basically claimed independence after the Soviet Union collapsed,
but who are “ethnically
distinct” from Georgians. President of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili
has had his own
problems, including being an authoritarian masquerading as a pro-democrat.
His focus has been on their “reunification.” President Dmitri A. Medvedev
of Russia wants to “punish” his adversary, Saakashvili, to try to
keep Putin’s tentacles strong, but to also keep South Ossetia in its orbit,
so to speak. Putin may be gone, but he’s not out of running things, though I’m
not speaking as an expert on this, it’s basic history where Putin is concerned.

Russia sent troops rolling into a breakaway region of Georgia on Friday after Georgian troops sought to enter the capital of the pro-Russian enclave, in a sharp escalation of the longstanding conflict. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin declared that “war has started” and President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia accused Russia of a “well-planned invasion,” saying he had mobilized Georgia’s military reserves. … Russia Sends Troops Into Rebel Enclave in Georgia

Kosovo might help everyone put this military flare up into perspective:

… But unlike Kosovo, the international community has not backed South Ossetians’ calls for autonomy, and has criticized Russia’s support as an attempt to thwart Georgia’s economic growth and integration with the West. Ossetians are disappointed with what they perceive as the West picking and choosing who gets the right to self-determination and applying international law unevenly. “Kosovo – that is a beautiful precedent which the so-called Western (democracies) pushed. Now that Ossetia and Abkhazia are on the map again, no one wants to talk about Kosovo anymore,” says Mr. Chochiev. To Georgia and the international community, territorial integrity is the key to stabilizing the region and preventing other breakaway zones from becoming autonomous. … 2006 – Russia, Georgia rattle sabers over Ossetia

From
Reuters:

Georgian officials say Russian armour is already pouring into the region from across the border. Hundreds of volunteers from Russia and another Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia, were reported to be making their way to South Ossetia. * If Georgian troops fail to retake South Ossetia, Tbilisi could be vulnerable to political and diplomatic pressure from the United States and Europe to halt its offensive. The European Union is wary of antagonising Russia, one of its main sources of energy. Some European members of NATO, also wary of President Mikheil Saakashvili’s record in clamping down on opponents, have resisted moves to put Georgia on a fast track to membership. Russia fiercely opposes NATO membership for its former Soviet satellite. * Outright defeat for Georgian forces, with a retreat to pre-conflict positions, would be a humiliation for Saakashvili. He has made it a priority to win back control of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another rebel region on the Black Sea. Defeat could also boost his domestic opponents and raise doubts about Georgia’s pro-market reforms and drive to align itself more closely with the West.

This is not a small development. Georgia’s Mikhail
Saakashvili is trying to drag the U.S. into a fracas with Russia. (Though, to add, we’re already in a contentious argument over missile defense.)

Obama on the event:

“I strongly condemn the outbreak of violence in Georgia, and urge an immediate end to armed conflict. Now is the time for Georgia and Russia to show restraint, and to avoid an escalation to full scale war. Georgia’s territorial integrity must be respected. All sides should enter into direct talks on behalf of stability in Georgia, and the United States, the United Nations Security Council, and the international community should fully support a peaceful resolution to this crisis.”

McCain on the event:

“Today, news reports indicate that Russian military forces crossed an internationally-recognized border into the sovereign territory of Georgia. Russia should immediately and unconditionally cease its military operations and withdraw all forces from sovereign Georgian territory. What is most critical now is to avoid further confrontation between Russian and Georgian military forces. The consequences for Euro-Atlantic stability and security are grave. “The government of Georgia has called for a cease-fire and for a resumption of direct talks on South Ossetia with international mediators. The U.S. should immediately convene an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council to call on Russia to reverse course. The U.S. should immediately work with the EU and the OSCE to put diplomatic pressure on Russia to reverse this perilous course it has chosen. We should immediately call a meeting of the North Atlantic Council to assess Georgia’s security and review measures NATO can take to contribute to stabilizing this very dangerous situation. Finally, the international community needs to establish a truly independent and neutral peacekeeping force in South Ossetia.”