Crisis in the Caucasus.

AuthorSempa, Francis P.
PositionGeorgia

Crisis in the Caucasus

By Nino Burjanadze, former Speaker of the Georgian Parliament

Reviewed by Francis P. Sempa, Contributing Editor

Text:http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/0904carnegie-caucasus_transcript.pdf"

Video: http://www.carnegieendowment.org/events/index.cfm?fa=eventDetail&id=1160&&prog=zru

On September 4, 2008, Nino Burjanadze, the former Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, spoke at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace about the ongoing conflict between Russia and Georgia.

Burjanadze characterized the Russian military move into Georgia as an act of "open aggression," an attempt "to change the political map of the Caucasus," and "an open challenge to the contemporary international order."

If the international community, especially Europe and the United States, allows the Russian aggression to succeed, Burjanadze warned, it will set a "dangerous precedent" and "send a clear message" to the rest of the world that great power aggression will be tolerated. Abkhazia and South Ossetia are part of Georgia, yet Russia has effectively annexed them. Russia, she said, is trying to "rehabilitate its imperial soul," and it...

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