The Georgian President Mikhail Saakashivili, US educated and unabashedly pro-NATO has bitten more than he can chew. By ordering his troops into the breakaway provice of Osettia and encouraging them to indulge in wanton war crimes in that region, the state of Georgia has invited international condemnation. Even George Bush could only request a return to status quo ante and the US State Department understood that Georgia has invited trouble for itself in the hope that the Russia advance will result in an American embrace. Fortunately that has not happened. Georgia has comitted war crimes in Osettia and must be brought to book.
The leadership in Georgia has chosen the time well. A new Russian President who is still untested. Putin has shown himself to be a ruthless defender of Russian interests and Medvedev has shown the same resolve. 2000 Russian civillians were killed an Medvedev acted in right earnest: he sent the Russian troops marching into Osettia and for all practical purposes Osettia is now firmely in Russian control. A giant humanitarian crisis was averted.
Georgia's quest to join the NATO has resulted in an element of instability in the region. The Causacus are of vital geopolitical importance for USA in that it controls access to the Central Asia states which are sitting on a huge pile of oil. USA has for some time trying to provoke an armed conflict in the tregion in order to have Russia tied up in her own backyard and to that end has been encouraging Georgia. Without US backing the tiny republic of Georgia could not have mustered the courage to take on the might of Russia. But better sense has prevailed in Washington DC and the responswe of the Bush Administration is both mild and within the limits of diplomatic decency. It appears that USA was interested in tying the US response to the Russian endorsement of the Iran sanction resolution that Russia has been stoutly opposing. In the interest of peace all over the world USA must refrain from encouraging regional conflicts in regions where Ammerica perceives her interests to be involved.
An armed conflict in the Caucasus suits US interests. The war between Georgia and Russia can be used as a justification for bringing Georgia into the NATO and it is for this reason Russia must use this opportunity to dislodge the regime in power and bring war crimes charges against the president of the republic. Russia cannot and should not allow Georgia to be be brought under the NATO framework as it will be a grave provocation and the encirclement of Russia in its soft underbelly will be complete. From a strategic point of view Russia will not allow Georgia to become part of a ring of hostile state encircling Russia.
The world is watching this new crisis.