The 8th Circle

What should the United States do in response to continued hostilities between Russia and Georgia? This is a question I first faced at Jon Worth’s blog, and lately from my colleagues.

Now John McCain and Barack Obama have voiced their opinion.

Below are excerpts from Obama and McCain respectively. Both take essentially the same positions with McCain perhaps going in more detail about the concrete steps that need to be taken.

BARACK OBAMA (full text)

No matter how this conflict started, Russia has escalated it well beyond the dispute over South Ossetia and has now violated the space of another country. Russia has escalated its military campaign through strategic bombing and the movement of its ground forces into the heart of Georgia. There is no possible justification for these attacks…

…While returning to a pre-August 8th military posture is a necessary first step towards resolving this crisis, we cannot tolerate the unacceptable status quo that led to this escalation. That means Russian peacekeeping troops should be replaced by a genuine international peacekeeping force, Georgia should refrain from using force in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and a political settlement must be reached that addresses the status of these disputed regions.

Going forward, the United States and Europe must support the people of Georgia. Beyond immediate humanitarian assistance, we must provide economic assistance, and help rebuild what has been destroyed. I have consistently called for deepening relations between Georgia and transatlantic institutions, including a membership action plan for NATO, and we must continue to press for that deeper relationship….

…Let me be clear: we seek a future of cooperative engagement with the Russian government, and friendship with the Russian people. We want Russia to play its rightful role as a great nation, but with that role comes the responsibility to act as a force for progress in this new century, not regression to the conflicts of the past. That is why the United States and the international community must speak out strongly against this aggression, and for peace and security.

JOHN MCCAIN (full text)

The implications of Russian actions go beyond their threat to the territorial integrity and independence of a Democratic Georgia. Russia is using violence against Georgia in part to intimidate other neighbors such as Ukraine for choosing to associate with the west and adhering to Western political and economic values…

The international response to this crisis will determine how Russia manages its relationships with other neighbors. We have other important interests, strategic interests, at stake in Georgia…theBaku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline…the operation of a critical communication and trade route from Georgia through Azerbaijan and Central Asia, and the integrity and influence of NATO, whose members reaffirmed last April the territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty of Georgia.

…It is time we moved forward with a number of steps. The United States and our allies should continue efforts to bring a resolution before the United Nations Security Council condemning Russian aggression, noting the withdrawal of Georgian troops from South Ossetia, and calling for an immediate ceasefire and a withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgian territory.

…World history is often made in remote, obscure countries. It is being made in Georgia today. It is the responsibility of the leading nations of the world to ensure that history continues to be a record of humanity’s progress toward respecting the values and security of free people.

How the US, the EU and the broader international community handle this war will have consequences on Russia’s future behavior toward its neighbors. Now many analysts argue that, however much it may have overreacted, Tbilisi’s response on August 8th to Moscow’s provocations during the first week in August pales in comparison to the disproportionate (but well coordinated) assault by Russian military forces on land, air and sea.

Everyone expected a Russian response to the killing of its soldiers. But was it necessary to take the conflict to this level?

[UPDATE]: J Clive Matthews ponders how will the West respond.

Photo credits:

• Barack Obama photograph is by CAPAF licensed under cc-by-sa.
• John McCain is a photograph by the U.S. Army and is in public domain