The last president of the USSR is considered a friend of the West, but even he finds in the Washington Post clear word for the events in the Caucasus. He points to a possible solution to the conflict and warned against further while the U.S., geopolitical Games:
A path to peace in Kaucasus
By Mikhail Gorbachev
The roots of this tragedy lie in the decision of the separatist leaders of Georgia, 1991 South abolish Ossetian autonomy. This turned out to be a time bomb for Georgia's territorial integrity. Each time successive leaders tried their will - both in South Ossetia and in Abkhazia, where the problem of autonomy is the same - to impose by force, this situation only made worse. New wounds tore open old wounds.
Nevertheless, it was still possible to find a political solution. For some time, relative calm prevailed in South Ossetia. The peacekeeping force composed of Russians, Georgians and South Ossetians fulfilled its mission, and ordinary Ossetians and Georgians, the closely together live, at least found some common ground.
During all these years, Russia recognized Georgia's territorial integrity to continue. Clearly, the only way to solve the South Ossetian problem on the basis of peaceful means. In fact, there are a civilized world in general no other way.
The Georgian leadership violated this fundamental principle.
What in the night of 7 August happened is absolutely incomprehensible. The Georgian military attacked the South Ossetian capital Tshkihinvali with multiple rocket launchers, which are designed to devastate large areas. Russia had to respond. Accuse it of aggression against "small, defenseless Georgia" is not just hypocritical but shows a lack of humanity.
carry out a military assault against innocents was a brainless decision whose tragic consequences for thousands of people of different nationalities are now obvious. The Georgian leadership could support it only under the impression of a stronger power, and encouraged to be done. The Georgian army was trained by hundreds of American trainers and their sophisticated equipment was purchased in several countries. This, coupled with the promise of NATO membership, brought the Georgian leader to believe that they would like a blitzkrieg in South Ossetia.
In other words, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili expecting unconditional support from the West and the West gave him reason to believe that. Now that the Georgian attack was beaten back, both the Georgian government and its supporters to reconsider their positions.
The hostilities should be suspended as soon as possible and urgent steps must be taken to help the victims. It is equally important to consider a resolution of the underlying problem, which is one of the most painful and challenging the Caucasus - a region that should be approached with great caution. flared
When the problems in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, I suggested that they be solved through a federation that would secure the two republics, a high degree of independence. This proposal was rejected, particularly by the Georgians. The setting was changing slowly, but after this week, it will be much more difficult to find a compromise, even on such a basis.
old lawsuits are a heavy burden. The healing is a lengthy process that requires patience and dialogue, with the abandonment of violence as a prerequisite. It took decades to end similar conflicts in Europe and elsewhere, and other longer-term issues still smolder. In addition to patience, this situation calls for more wisdom.
The small nations of the Caucasus have a history of living together. It was shown that lasting peace is possible, that tolerance and cooperation can create conditions for a normal life and normal development. Nothing is more important than that
The leaders of the region need to recognize that. Instead of playing with the military muscle, they should strengthen their efforts building a foundation for a lasting peace dedicate.
In recent years, some Western nations relative positions, particularly in the Security Council of the UN, which were far from being balanced. In consequence, it was the Security Council unable to act even at the outbreak of this conflict effectively. While she is away the Caucasus, a region that is thousands of miles from the American continent, to an area of "national interest", the U.S. made a serious mistake. Of course, peace in the Caucasus is in everyone's interest. But a simple, common sense says that Russia there through a joint Geography and centuries of history is deeply rooted. Russia has no territorial expansion, but it has legitimate interests in this region.
The long-term objective of the international community might be to create a regional system of security and cooperation, the provocation and the sheer possibility of such a conflict makes this impossible. to create such a system would be a challenge and could be achieved with the cooperation of the countries of the region itself. Nations outside the region could perhaps help - but only if they receive a fair and objective position. One lesson of recent events is that geopolitical games are dangerous anywhere, not just in the Caucasus.
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