Georgia-Russia Conflict
This Wednesday, one year and two months will have passed since the commencement of the 2008 South Ossetia War, also known as the Russia-Georgia conflict. After an extended period of mounting tension, heavy fighting erupted in and around the town of Tskhinvali in South Ossetia, a de facto independent territory located on the northern border of Georgia. Russia responded by deploying combat troops in South Ossetia and launching bombing raids into Georgia. The fighting, which soon extended to other parts of Georgia, lasted for five days. This conflict significantly damaged Russia’s relationship with the West in general and with the United States in particular. Last week, the European Union concluded its nine-month investigation into what triggered the conflict. According to the 1,000-page report, released by Swiss diplomat Heidi Tagliavini, Georgia is responsible for the initial aggression, even though it had previously claimed that it was acting in response to a Russian invasion. This is a major diplomatic victory for Russia, who was initially blamed for the invasion by the majority of western media and government leaders. The initial Russian response was thus justified as an effort to defend its peacekeeping units stationed in South Ossetia. At the same time, the report holds Russia accountable for going too far in its attacks following the initial conflict.
What does this mean for U.S. policy toward Russia? Initially, President Bush responded to the conflict with an across-the-board condemnation of Russia. Georgia was one of Bush’s allies in the “war on terror” as well as a partner in the “promotion of democracy.” The Obama administration, on the contrary, has expressed a desire to “press the reset button” on its relationship with Russia. Tensions with respect to Georgia still remain. As recently as September, the U.S. has expressed concern over the deepening of military and economic ties of Russia to the separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Nevertheless, currently the issue of Georgia does not have the same priority to the Obama administration as the containment of Iran and nuclear non-proliferation, where cooperation with Russia is essential.
Nuclear non-proliferation
Last July, in an unprecedented gesture of trust and goodwill towards each other, Presidents Obama and Medvedev agreed to reduce their strategic nuclear warheads to between 1,500 and 1,675 and the means to deliver nuclear weapons to between 500 and 1,100 vehicles, which include long-range strategic bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear-powered submarines. A formal treaty will be concluded later in the year to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START-I, which expires in December. In his remarks, President Obama said that, “President Medvedev and I are committed to leaving behind the suspicion and the rivalry of the past so that we can advance the interests that we hold in common.” He also acknowledged that as the world’s two “leading nuclear powers,” Russia and the United States must lead by example. The fact that Obama treats Russia as an equal in his efforts to curb nuclear proliferation is a key departure from the adversarial approach of the Bush presidency in diplomatic relations with Russia.
On Sept. 17, President Obama cancelled the Bush-era plans to build missile defense bases in the Czech Republic and Poland. The missile defense network was supposed to shield against Iran’s possible future nuclear aggression, however Russia felt threatened by the project. This gesture’s aim is to encourage closer cooperation between the United States and Russia in order to stop Iran’s nuclear program.
Afghanistan
On July 6 Presidents Obama and Medvedev released a joint statement on Afghanistan that expressed shared goals of the United States and Russia, including “democracy and economic growth; countering terrorism, extremism and illegal drug trafficking; and enhancing the government of Afghanistan’s capacity to achieve key socioeconomic objectives, raise living standards and ensure the security of its people.” In addition, Russia has signed an agreement allowing for the transport of U.S. troops and combat materials through Russian air space en route to Afghanistan. According to top U.S. officials, this will not only speed up deployments and cut costs, but also set the stage for expanded cooperation in other security areas with Russia. Cooperation in Afghanistan has not always been this amicable, given the fact that Russia felt like its regional interests were threatened with continued U.S. presence in the region before the U.S. was able to convince Russia of the transitory nature of its presence.
Conclusion
U.S. policy toward Russia has undergone an important makeover under Obama’s leadership. His emphasis on mutual respect and dialogue is behind the success of recent negotiations to limit nuclear proliferation and allow transport of U.S. troops and supplies through Russian territory en route to Afghanistan. Though the relationship between Russia and the U.S. is far from perfect, the recent efforts at cooperation are a positive sign that suggests that at least where common interests are concerned, the two countries can find solutions that are mutually satisfactory.