It is truly worse than having to babysit children. But now that the Bombing in Georgia has stopped, The childish finger pointing has started.
The NYT reports:
President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia announced Tuesday that he agreed to a European peace proposal and had ordered a halt to his country’s military operation in Georgia, although he did not say that troops were pulling out and he insisted that Russian forces were still authorized to fire on enemies in South Ossetia.
The president said Russia had achieved its military goals in five days of fighting, during which Russian troops advanced into Georgian territory despite strong denunciations from President Bush and other Western leaders.
But fighting appeared to continue in Georgia on Tuesday — with reports of sporadic bombing and some Russian troops digging in around Georgian cities — and it was uncertain whether Mr. Medvedev’s statement would lead to an end to hostilities.
Despite the uncertainties, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, who was in Moscow to try to mediate the crisis, hailed Mr. Medvedev’s decision. Other senior Western officials said they thought a cease-fire proper was imminent. Later, Mr. Sarkozy and Mr. Medvedev held a news conference on the peace proposal, which calls for Russian forces to withdraw from Georgia. It was unclear whether it called for a full withdrawal from South Ossetia and Abkhazia, nor what kind of timetable might be involved.
While this is a good thing to hear, if the reports that the bombing has ceased are true. But now however, the blame game is starting. Mikhail Gorbachev blames Georgia, and by proxy, the United States, for this beginning of the hostilities. He writes in a Washington Post Op-Ed:
The past week’s events in South Ossetia are bound to shock and pain anyone. Already, thousands of people have died, tens of thousands have been turned into refugees, and towns and villages lie in ruins. Nothing can justify this loss of life and destruction. It is a warning to all.
The roots of this tragedy lie in the decision of Georgia’s separatist leaders in 1991 to abolish South Ossetian autonomy. This turned out to be a time bomb for Georgia’s territorial integrity. Each time successive Georgian leaders tried to impose their will by force — both in South Ossetia and in Abkhazia, where the issues of autonomy are similar — it only made the situation worse. New wounds aggravated old injuries.
Nevertheless, it was still possible to find a political solution. For some time, relative calm was maintained in South Ossetia. The peacekeeping force composed of Russians, Georgians and Ossetians fulfilled its mission, and ordinary Ossetians and Georgians, who live close to each other, found at least some common ground.
Through all these years, Russia has continued to recognize Georgia’s territorial integrity. Clearly, the only way to solve the South Ossetian problem on that basis is through peaceful means. Indeed, in a civilized world, there is no other way.
[….]
Mounting a military assault against innocents was a reckless decision whose tragic consequences, for thousands of people of different nationalities, are now clear. The Georgian leadership could do this only with the perceived support and encouragement of a much more powerful force. Georgian armed forces were trained by hundreds of U.S. instructors, and its sophisticated military equipment was bought in a number of countries. This, coupled with the promise of NATO membership, emboldened Georgian leaders into thinking that they could get away with a “blitzkrieg” in South Ossetia.
In other words, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was expecting unconditional support from the West, and the West had given him reason to think he would have it. Now that the Georgian military assault has been routed, both the Georgian government and its supporters should rethink their position.
[….]
Over the past few days, some Western nations have taken positions, particularly in the U.N. Security Council, that have been far from balanced. As a result, the Security Council was not able to act effectively from the very start of this conflict. By declaring the Caucasus, a region that is thousands of miles from the American continent, a sphere of its “national interest,” the United States made a serious blunder. Of course, peace in the Caucasus is in everyone’s interest. But it is simply common sense to recognize that Russia is rooted there by common geography and centuries of history. Russia is not seeking territorial expansion, but it has legitimate interests in this region.
The international community’s long-term aim could be to create a sub-regional system of security and cooperation that would make any provocation, and the very possibility of crises such as this one, impossible. Building this type of system would be challenging and could only be accomplished with the cooperation of the region’s countries themselves. Nations outside the region could perhaps help, too — but only if they take a fair and objective stance. A lesson from recent events is that geopolitical games are dangerous anywhere, not just in the Caucasus.
As much as I hate to admit it. He does have a point. It did seem the the western media here in America did come out against Russia. Bush and Co. did prop up Georgia as an ally, only to stand by idly as Russia moved in tanks and began bombing that country. This was possibly a costly mistake. It does do further damage to President Bush, it makes him look weak in the eyes of the Georgians and to the rest in that region.
Whether the rest of the conservative world wants to admit it or not. The next President of the United States is going to have a BUNCH of mopping up to do, no matter whom elected, they are going to have their work cut out for them. I just hope that whomever is elected, has the courage and the intestinal fortitude to deal with the mess that will be left in the White House after this current administration has left. I pity that person greatly, I would not want to be in that persons shoes, at all.
Others Blogging, that I care to link to: Blogs of War, Donklephant
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