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August 13, 2008

Ways to help Georgia

I didn't have many ideas on how to help Georgia (I wish I understood what was happening in Georgia better) but I did think we should do something. Even the ceasefire seems to have been abandoned by Russia (Bush Sends Aid to Georgia as Russians Occupy a City). The WSJ provided a harsh but accurate assessment of what could be done for Georgia.

Much as it respects and owes Georgia, the U.S. is not going to war with Russia over a non-NATO ally. But there are forceful diplomatic and economic responses at its disposal. Expelling Russia from the G-8 group of democracies, as John McCain has suggested, is one. Barring Russia's long desired entry into the World Trade Organization is another. Russian leaders should also be told that their financial assets held abroad aren't off limits to sanction. And Moscow should know that the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi on the Black Sea are in jeopardy. A country that starts a war on the weekend the Beijing Olympics began doesn't deserve such an honor.

The Georgian people also deserve U.S. support. One way to demonstrate that would be a "Tbilisi airlift," ferrying military and humanitarian supplies to the Georgian capital, which is currently cut off by Russian troops from its Black Sea port. Secretary of State Rice or Defense Secretary Robert Gates should be in one of the first planes. After the fighting ends, the U.S. can lead the recovery effort. And since the Russians are demanding his ouster, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili deserves U.S. support too. Moscow wants a puppet leader in Tbilisi, and U.S. officials are playing into Valdimir Putin's hands with their media whispers that this is all Mr. Saakashvili's fault.

Meanwhile, the NY Times reports that some of this is already happening:

The United States, Mr. Bush said, “stands with the democratically elected government of Georgia and insists that its sovereignty and territorial integrity be respected.” He said a transport plane was already on its way to Georgia, carrying medical supplies and a contingent of Army and Navy forces to carry out an aid mission.

There probably are some Georgians that hope that Russian military forces end up killing some of our troops as a causus belli for our active participation in the conflict. Then again, when we hit the Chinese embassy in Belgrade the Chinese accepted our apologies, so maybe that wouldn't happen.

Posted by OneEyedMan at August 13, 2008 2:16 PM

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