As we tune our dials and immerse ourselves in the Beijing Olympics, there is a breaking story that we cannot ignore. Russia has invaded Georgia – a state that has long been vying for NATO admission. As with any war, there is much to understand.
For the sake of brevity, this article will be broken down into three sections; the history, the war, and the issues – all of which will only scratch the surface of this crosscurrent.
The History
Georgia, located on the east coast of the Black Sea, gained its independence in 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Prior to the formation of the USSR in 1921, Georgia had briefly been a sovereign nation (1917-1921), but quickly dissolved when the USSR came into existence (it first joined the
Transcaucasian SFSR (1921-1936) along with Armenia and Azerbaijan, which then joined the USSR). Since regaining its autonomy Georgia has been trying to join NATO; Russia is of course not
a member of NATO (and is arguably opposed to it), and Georgia's attempt a joining it has been a source of much tension between the two nations.
South Ossetia is recognized by the United Nations as a province of Georgia, however, the people of South Ossetia have been demanding sovereignty from Georgia since no later than 1988, when the South Ossetia Popular Front was established – a group aiming to split South Ossetia from the Georgian state. In 1990, the Georgian government enacted a law preventing such dissension (it deemed ‘regional parties’ illegal), and there has been violent confrontations between the two since. In 1991 the violence truly began when no fewer than 1,000 South Ossetians were killed in raids carried out by Georgian compatriots.
The War
Georgia began a
military campaign aimed at quelling South Ossetian dissidence early in August this year (though I can't find a definitive answer on the exact start date of Georgia's initial assault). In response to this action, Russia - long upset with Georgia’s apparent favour of Western nations over Russia (namely by Georgia’s attempt to join NATO) - sent a military force to defend South Ossetia.
On August 8th, Russian aircraft bombed Georgia’s largest military base. Although there were no casualties, many Georgian military assets were destroyed.
In an
interview with CNN, Georgian President Mikhail Saakasvili had this to say: "This is a clear intrusion on another country's territory. We have Russian tanks on our territory, jets on our territory in broad daylight (…) Russia is fighting a war with us in our own territory."
As expected, the US, the UN, NATO and the EU are calling for an immediate end to the conflict, though have offered no solutions to the dispute.
Canadian news network the CBC reported this afternoon that George Bush had made an announcement on behalf of the United States to address the matter; to quote the CBC: "US President George Bush issued a statement today pledging support for what he called Georgia's 'territorial integrity'. The US is calling for both sides to agree to a ceasefire and is sending an 'envoy' to the region."
The Issues
First off, many
Russians have a close ties with South Ossetia – North Ossetia is a province within Russia, and shares a border with Georgia. In fact, Russian ties to South Ossetia are so strong that many Russians are volunteering to fight in defense South Ossetia. What's more, Russia has been providing financial support to fund South Ossetian separatist parties.
If one of Russia's goals is to prevent Georgian accession into NATO, politicians may see this engagement as an opportunity to further those ends. Because Georgia initially engaged South Ossetia, it suggests that Georgia is not a peaceful nation. Thus if they were allowed entry into NATO, they may start conflict that NATO would be forced to involve themselves in.
In this feud between Georgia and South Ossetia (plus Russia), there is the risk that Russian troops may wage an assault aimed at gaining complete control of the Georgian state, not just to eliminate Georgia's military presence in South Ossetia.
A Russian official located in Moscow was quoted as saying, "the actions by Georgia in South Ossetia bear witness to the fact that the leadership of that country can no longer be trusted.” A statement that certainly must be upsetting for Georgian officials to hear.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said “We cannot allow the deaths of our countrymen to go unpunished. The guilty parties will receive the punishment they deserve,” further raising fears that Russia may indeed be planning to wage a full war against Georgia with the intent of either removing the current government or taking over the entire nation.
If Russia intends to take over Georgia it is unlikely that the world will stand by idly, but if they state that their intent is simply to remove a murderous regime (or something to that effect), perhaps their suggestion would be regarded as acceptable by the international community.
Of
all options, it might make the most sense for Georgia to cede South Ossetia (in which there are roughly 50,000 people) and allow them to form their own nation or join Russia.
We will surely be hearing much about this conflict in the days and weeks to come, though a battle between Georgia and Russia certainly cannot last very long; the total forces on reserve in Georgia total a mere 18,000.
Though this was just a primer to the conflict, hopefully you now have a better understanding of why this conflict has come to be.
Thanks for reading.
GRMM
