President Obama and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili were all smiles after their meeting at the White House earlier today. Obama reportedly told Saakashvili he wants a U.S.-Georgia free trade agreement, and the two leaders discussed security cooperation as well.
Obama also made a verbal gesture toward Georgia that everyone pretends to be reassured by even though it’s usually utterly meaningless: He reaffirmed American support for Georgia’s acceptance into NATO. But in this case, Obama’s NATO comments are actually important, whether the NATO bid goes anywhere or not. That’s because the reasons to keep Georgia out of NATO have disappeared, and we’ll find out whether the West’s commitment to its allies and to global security are all, as Obama might say, “just words.”
To backtrack a few years, when George W. Bush used his last NATO conference in 2008 to argue forcefully for granting Georgia and Ukraine membership action plans (MAP), the first step toward NATO accession, he was rebuffed by France and Germany who found Bush’s defense of America’s allies to be, according to the New York Times, “annoying.”
Germany’s official reason for selling Georgia out to Moscow was that the periodic Russian invasions of Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia were “frozen conflicts,” and until such matters were settled it would be dangerous to pledge to protect Georgia. What the Germans were doing–unintentionally but still reprehensibly–was signaling to Russia that as long as they continued to attack sovereign Georgian territory every so often, Germany would continue to keep Georgia out of NATO. Unsurprisingly, four months after that conference, Russia invaded.
In case anyone thought that wasn’t the reason for it, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recently gave two speeches in which he plainly said the 2008 invasion was carried out specifically to keep Georgia out of NATO. That Bush tried valiantly but unsuccessfully to stop Germany from encouraging a Russia-Georgia war seems to be water under the bridge. But so is the “frozen conflict” the Germans were so worried about. Last month, Russia was finally admitted to the World Trade Organization. Georgia had been holding up Russia’s admission into the group over Russia’s refusal to agree to a reasonable border-security arrangement, but the two sides finally did come to such an agreement, so that should remove Germany’s excuse.
That Times story from the 2008 conference also suggests that Bush’s attempt to get Georgia and Ukraine into NATO risked upsetting Russia over missile defense sites in Eastern Europe. But early on in his administration, Obama helpfully took care of that by scrapping the missile defense anyway (and in the most offensive manner possible–this was an early indicator of “smart” power).
So, Russia’s concerns have been tended to. Germany’s excuses have dissipated. Georgia’s good-faith gestures, however, thus far have been unilateral. Unless Barack Obama’s gift for diplomacy cannot even convince our allies to support our other allies, what’s the holdup?
One knows the integrity of NATO is lost when it is up to Russia which countries can join or cannot join.
I agree with you Seth, they lost all of excuses and lets see what they come up with during the Chicago summit in May
How far is Georgia from the North Atlantic again?
Russia did not invade Georgia because of Georgia wanted to join NATO. NATO was a convenient excuse for what happen, not the cause of it. The possibility of admitting Georgia into NATO presented Russia a deadline for its dastardly deed, but not the reason for it. The reason Russia invaded Georgiawas to crush the Rose Revolution. n nFollowing Napoleon, Tsarist Russia became the bastion of counter-revolution. The progressive revolutions stirring Europe threaten the Tsar. n nThe Color Revolutions that swept across the former Soviet Union inspired the Arab Spring, which has now inspired the demonstrations the Botonaya Square demonstrations. Putin's Russia sides with Syria's Assad, Libya's Crazy Qadaffi, & Iran's mighty Mullahs because, once again, it is the Tsarist bastion of counter-revolution. The revolutionary zeal stirring elsewhere threatens Putin and his oligarchs. n nRussia crushed the Color Revolutions in the Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. A few months before the invasion of Georgia, its Armenian proxy murdered demonstrators in Yerevan who were protesting against the rigged Armenian presidential election. Russia invaded Georgia because Putin is afraid that democracy might spread to Moscow. n nIn answer to Egyptian Steve, Georgia is a little closer to the North Atlantic than Turkey, which makes it close enough to join NATO. n
What took place between Russia and Georgia was the fault of George W. Bush. President Bush tried to press American influence right to the Russian border with offers of entrance to NATO and radar and missile systems. Then he pushed one step too far and offered Georgia membership to NATO, against the wishes of the European members. n nThe Europeans knew the history of Georgia. Stalin folded Abkhazia and South Ossetia into Georgia to sow the seeds of dissent that would weaken the local Georgian government and strengthen the central Soviet government. The central government would have to keep the various ethnic groups in Georgia in check. There had been ethnic tensions between those regions for generations. When Georgia broke away from the Soviet Union in the early 90s those so called breakaway regions wanted to stay with Russia. South Ossettia wished to be reunited with North Ossetia. Those regions felt so strongly about remaining with Russia that within a year of Georgia breaking away from the Soviet Union a revolution was fought to a stalemate. The break away regions did not become part of Russia, probably because of the weakness of Russia at that time. Georgia could not take control of the break away regions whose governments became autonomous. n nGeorgia long yearned to regain total control of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. They knew those regions would make an appeal to Russia to come to their defense if Georgia tried to take control. Georgia did not want to risk the Russians getting involved. n nThe stalemate continued until George W. Bush offered NATO membership. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili thought the US had his back and thought the Russians would not react to Georgia retaking control over the break away regions by force for fear of the US. He set the Georgian military loose on South Ossetia. Which included the shelling of civilian populations. n nRussia was unhappy that the US was trying to extend their influence to the Russian border. When the South Ossetians called for help, Russia responded. They made a bet that George W. Bush did not want a confrontation with Russia, they won that bet. Bush and the Republicans showed their weakness by declaring "We are all Georgians now", but doing nothing. n nThe moral to that story is to know history.
what you must know my french "friend" is that 20 years ago it was not Ossetians or Abkhazians fighting agaist georgia but the same russian militery. end how i know it cose my father was in war end everyone knew what was really going on so don try to sell as a some kind of story wich you reade in newspaper. n p.s: end so you know Abkhazia end south Ossetia was part of Georgia for more then 23 centyres end there was no problems bifore russia dont make it.