Michael Braun's Blog

Okay, it is absolutely propaganda. But this is one nicely done video.

On Friday, August 8, Russian troops entered the country of Georgia to secure disputed regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia. For years, says the New York Times, Russia has been alleging that Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was planning to take these regions. For several days, Russian tanks rolled through Georgia while planes battered the ground with bombing runs. Finally, a ceasefire was struck and Russian troops appear on their way out.

In the wake of battle, Georgia has accepted tough penalties for their surrender. Russian troops will be given free-reign in the disputed, pro-Russian provinces, while Georgian troops must return to their bases. While this may lead to peace, it is a bitter pill for the democratic nation to swallow. In part, it seems that their pro-West stance on governance (and against Russia dominance) made them an obvious target for Russia’s increasing aggression towards their neighbors (and the rest of the world).

But will this war change anything about how the world deals with Russia? Russia holds great sway in the United Nations, as well as occupying a lot of physical space. So while their country is weak, with a small, under-equipped military (when compared to the US and other Western powers), it is a country that the US cannot engage militarily. Furthermore, the US needs Russia’s cooperation on a wide variety of matters from space exploration to fighting terrorism to negotiating with stubborn countries like North Korea. Georgia’s president says that the West failed Georgia because it failed to intervene (militarily) during the conflict, but clearly it’s a little more complicated than that.

Can the West have it both ways? Can we stand up for all pro-Western governments while still protecting (increasingly fragile) alliances? Or are we doomed to have to make a tough decision about our future relationship with Russia? Unlike China’s rise to power (by peaceful means, most recently evidenced by the Olympics), Russia is trying to establish its power through its only proven method to success – killing people. I’m not sure the answer to these questions, but I must say, let’s hope Obama wins in November, or we’re likely to continue to make no progress with this increasingly hostile nation.