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U.S. FAILS TO LEAD ON CONFLICT IN GEORGIA
Ruslan Aliyev
Chicago Daily Herald
8/15/2008 8:56 AM
IL
The reaction of the U.S. Congress and administration, as well as the
leading international government organizations to the South Ossetia
conflict between Georgia and Russia-backed separatists is disturbingly
slow and disastrously lacking.
Despite U.N. and the international community being tasked with conflict
resolution and prevention since the cease-fire in South Ossetia (1992)
and Abkhazia (1993), the two breakaway regions of Georgia, no lasting
peace based on Georgia's territorial integrity has been implemented.
Today, when the war reignited there, hundreds, possibly thousands
of people have died, scores wounded, hundreds of millions of dollars
in infrastructure damage and tens of thousands of displaced, we are
seeing the results of this indifference and "not a priority" approach.
The international community and the U.S. have been weak on the
"frozen conflicts" of the former USSR, adopting watered down toothless
resolutions that are barely worth the paper they are printed on and
being ignorant of the Kosovo precedent, which has emboldened the
separatists who interpreted the message in the only logical way -
that territorial integrity of a state is in the eyes of US and EU less
important than "self-determination" - even if the latter is achieved
only by violent, sometimes terrorist, means.
Frankly, the double standards and weak leadership even within the US
is striking. On Aug. 8, Sen. Obama made a weak statement that ignored
basic facts: "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."
Despite a very feeble statement, at least it pays lip service to
territorial integrity of Georgia, a strategic U.S. ally.
In his Jan. 19 reference to another strategic U.S. ally, Azerbaijan
and its Armenia-occupied region of NK, Sen. Obama stated that as
president, he will be "working for a lasting and durable settlement of
the Nagorno Karabagh conflict based upon America's founding commitment
to the principles of democracy and self determination."
And after this, we want U.S. to have more friends and allies, more
respect and to have more peace and fewer wars in the world?
Ruslan Aliyev
Chicago Daily Herald
8/15/2008 8:56 AM
IL
The reaction of the U.S. Congress and administration, as well as the
leading international government organizations to the South Ossetia
conflict between Georgia and Russia-backed separatists is disturbingly
slow and disastrously lacking.
Despite U.N. and the international community being tasked with conflict
resolution and prevention since the cease-fire in South Ossetia (1992)
and Abkhazia (1993), the two breakaway regions of Georgia, no lasting
peace based on Georgia's territorial integrity has been implemented.
Today, when the war reignited there, hundreds, possibly thousands
of people have died, scores wounded, hundreds of millions of dollars
in infrastructure damage and tens of thousands of displaced, we are
seeing the results of this indifference and "not a priority" approach.
The international community and the U.S. have been weak on the
"frozen conflicts" of the former USSR, adopting watered down toothless
resolutions that are barely worth the paper they are printed on and
being ignorant of the Kosovo precedent, which has emboldened the
separatists who interpreted the message in the only logical way -
that territorial integrity of a state is in the eyes of US and EU less
important than "self-determination" - even if the latter is achieved
only by violent, sometimes terrorist, means.
Frankly, the double standards and weak leadership even within the US
is striking. On Aug. 8, Sen. Obama made a weak statement that ignored
basic facts: "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."
Despite a very feeble statement, at least it pays lip service to
territorial integrity of Georgia, a strategic U.S. ally.
In his Jan. 19 reference to another strategic U.S. ally, Azerbaijan
and its Armenia-occupied region of NK, Sen. Obama stated that as
president, he will be "working for a lasting and durable settlement of
the Nagorno Karabagh conflict based upon America's founding commitment
to the principles of democracy and self determination."
And after this, we want U.S. to have more friends and allies, more
respect and to have more peace and fewer wars in the world?