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[Courrier International, France]

 

 

Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany

Georgia: The Proxy War that Could Go Global

 

"Should this turn into a proxy war between 'East' and 'West,' it will mean a global confrontation … Moscow and Washington both have the power to bring the warring parties to heel - but both refuse to give an inch, and by hesitating as well as ramping up the rhetoric, they only fuel the flames."

 

By Karl Grobe

                         

 

Translated By Ulf Behncke and Susanne Angelow

 

August 9, 2008

 

Germany - Frankfurter Rundschau - Original Article (German)

There is no Olympic peace to be had, certainly not in the Caucasus. The constantly-increasing gunfire over the past week is about to escalate into an all-out war, and it's hard to imagine that it will remain limited to the Republic of Georgia and its renegade province of South Ossetia. Georgian troops have advanced into the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali. Abkhazia, the other secessionist region, has announced that it will send volunteers to support South Ossetia: which means the threat of a two-front war on Georgian territory looms.

 

In the Olympic City of Beijing, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin spoke of forceful countermeasures and President Dmitry Medvedev examined Russia's options in this, the first crisis of his tenure. Meanwhile, Georgia’s head of state Mikheil Saakashvili mobilized all of his reserve forces. This is now more than a limited confrontation within the borders of what maps call Georgia. This is war.

 

The Georgian government has international law on its side: the separation of the two regions and their declarations of independence haven't been recognized by any other nation. From this, President Saakashvili infers that any military action to re-establish national unity is legitimate. So far, so good. But the fact that he was still talking of a ceasefire on Thursday while his military advance toward Tskhinvali was well underway - things like this take planning, they don’t just happen - doesn't identify him as the most honest politician in the region.

 

RUSSIAN NEWS REPORT: 'FIVE DAYS THE SHOCKED THE WORLD'

 

The leaders of these separatist regions, however, invoke the right to self-determination of peoples and the desire to preserve their cultural autonomy without it being limited by the Georgian state. They can also cite historical reasons, such as Russian imperialism in the 19th and Soviet repression in the 20th century, whose proxies in the south were the same Tbilisi gentlemen whose game is now to drive the Saakashvili government to use its arsenal of weapons. For two centuries, Ossetia has been divided into a larger northern part under Russian administration, and a smaller southern district under Georgian rule. A unification of the two will only be possible if the state borders in the Caucasus are re-drawn.

 

But a justification for war, the consequences of which would destroy the very basis of life for the peoples embroiled in it, cannot be derived from this. For the central actors as well as those in the background, this isn't about the peoples of the Caucasus, their age-old traditions or their current plight. There are entirely other interests - interests that mitigate against a peaceful solution. Russia has time and again used Abkhazia and South Ossetia  - and not without a healthy dose of cynicism - to exert pressure on Tbilisi. At the same time, the Saakashvili Government, more than any of its predecessors, has vigorously pushed toward aligning itself with NATO, the E.U. and ultimately the United States.

 

[The Telegraph, U.K.]

 

The not-so-covert threat, that if Kosovo became independent Russia wouldn’t stand back from Abkhazia and South Ossetia with a smile - is still on everyone’s mind. What from the point of view of the Kremlin is part of Washington's plan to encircle Russia is from Georgia's perspective an essential guarantee of its sovereignty.

 

That is why the Georgian war poses a danger that reaches far beyond the region. Should this turn into a proxy war between “East” and “West,” it will mean a global confrontation. For Europe this would have serious consequences that are mainly economic in nature, the key words being oil and natural gas. Russia would face isolation, which would lead to a surge in the already-energetic nationalistic forces in the country, and in turn lead to more confrontational policies. 

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

 

CNN INTERVIEW WITH GEORGIA PRESIDENT SAAKASHVILLI, AUG. 13

 

The U.N. is failing to live up to its desired role as peacemaker; unity in the U.N. Security Council will fail due to the veto power of both the United States and Russia. The Council may admonish and lament. Under the circumstances, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s call to respect the Olympic peace is well-meaning. Nothing more. Moscow and Washington both have the power to bring the warring parties to heel - but both refuse to give an inch, and by hesitating as well as ramping up the rhetoric, they only fuel the flames.

 

CLICK HERE FOR GERMAN VERSION

 

FROM AROUND EUROPE ON THE GEORGIA CRISIS:

 

Rceczpospolita, Poland

Banish All 'Magical Thinking' Regarding the Russian Bear

http://worldmeets.us/rzeczpospolita000005.shtml

 

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland

'Enormous Error' of President Bush's 'Georgian Protege'

http://worldmeets.us/gazetawyborcza000018.shtml

 

Cotidianul, Romania

Georgia Can 'Kiss NATO Goodbye'

http://worldmeets.us/cotidianul000002.shtml

 

Financial Times Deutschland, Germany

Before Georgia - Its Europe that Needs Mediation

http://worldmeets.us/financialtimesdeutschland000064.shtml

 

Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany

Georgia: The Proxy War that Could Go Global

http://worldmeets.us/frankfurterrundschau000032.shtml

 

Rue 89, France

East Europe Best Not Depend on 'Obsolete' NATO

http://worldmeets.us/rue89000015.shtml

 

Liberation, France

The Russian President 'Dictates His Peace' to Hapless Europe

http://worldmeets.us/liberation000115.shtml

 

Le Figaro, France

In South Ossetia, 'Kosovo Backfires'

http://worldmeets.us/lefigaro0000231.shtml

 

Le Figaro, France

Between America and Russia, the E.U. is On the Front Line

http://worldmeets.us/lefigaro0000229.shtml

 

Le Figaro, France

War in the Caucasus: Georgia 'Doesn’t Stand a Chance'

http://worldmeets.us/lefigaro0000228.shtml

 

Kommersant, Russia

The Kremlin Offers 'an Ultimatum' to America

http://worldmeets.us/kommersant000038.shtml

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US August 13, 7:55pm]