Where Do We Fit In?

There's been a lot of talk about the Georgia-Russia conflict lately. Some of it has been pretty scary. Some political commentators are drawing similarities to the Cold War, others are warning that a global conflict is only one nasty incident away. What started off as a fairly regional issue certainly has exploded over the past week or so. Of course, the world's focus on International Relations and the Olympics as of late certainly doesn't help the firestorm that has emerged.

Even with Russia issuing a cease fire in the past day or so (almost immediately after the United States virtually demanded one) there are signs that military action is continuing in Georgia. The conflict started over a few separatist regions in Georgia with very close ties to neighboring Russia. In Georgia's attempt to regain control over these regions, they angered the Russians, who felt the Georgian military had overstepped its authority.

Now we see the Russian military doing the exact same thing. They ruled into Georgia with their tanks and jets and infantry, and even after the separatist regions have been dutifully protected, they continue to bomb and destroy Georgia and its military. Even after claiming that they would stop, they continue to "punish" the Georgians, who can't hope to defend themselves against the far superior Russian army.

The United States has taken a pretty firm stance on the issue. President Bush immediately returned from the Beijing Games and stated that the United States condemns any Russian military action outside of the disputed region, and said that the Russians had been using an inordinate amount of force.

Now with the Russians seemingly ignoring the cease fire they had agreed to, the United States is offering aid to Georgia and its devastated people. Many will begin to ask whether we should be putting ourselves in harms way by doing so, and in my opinion, we absolutely should. If the Russian Government (and even more importantly, ex KGB operative and omnipresent Russian leader Vladmir Putin) get the feeling that they can start rolling into neighboring countries without any resistance from the World community, they will. Especially if they feel they have a good reason to, as in the Georgia situation.

I don't think that this situation will ultimately end in military confrontation between the US and Russia, because I believe at the end of the day, both countries are still afraid of what the other is capable of. The United States can afford to take a hard stance against the Russians, we can afford to offer aid to Georgia, and we can afford to publicly call out the Russian government, because the last thing they want is a fight with us. They can ignore the cease fire, ignore our statements, and ignore everything else the world community is telling them, because the last thing we want is a fight with Russia, and they know it.

It's a standstill. Two immovable objects. Both flexing their muscles for everyone to see, showing the other (and possibly themselves) that they've still got the guts to stand up to the other. In the end, its just sad to see a formerly progressing country like Russia fall into old habits, and even sadder to see President Bush have the chance to face another crisis, right when we thought he was pretty much done.