Latest Articles about South Caucasus
NAVAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE SOUTH OSSETIAN CRISIS
Last month’s confrontation between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia had a maritime dimension that continues to expand. Russia deployed elements of its Black Sea fleet to Georgia’s coast during its military operations and subsequently sank several Georgian naval vessels in Poti. During the clash... MORE
VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY’S VISIT TO BAKU RAISES SPECULATIONS
On September 3, US Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in Baku as part of his tour to the region of the former Soviet Union. The visit was the first such high-ranking visit by a US official and drew much attention because of the recent events... MORE
WHAT THE EUROPEAN UNION CAN DO ABOUT GEORGIA AFTER THE RUSSIAN INVASION
The EU’s emergency summit on September 1 must contemplate the wreckage of European policies in the eastern neighborhood and toward Russia. Following Russia’s invasion of Georgia and the forcible change of borders there, the EU can expect intensified Russian pressures (perhaps after a decent interval)... MORE
RUSSIA BLOCKING OSCE’S ACCESS TO SOUTH OSSETIA
Russia’s August 26 official recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as “independent states” will change nothing on the ground, let alone the international legal status of the two territories. With or without such “recognition,” Russia did as it pleased in both territories for the last... MORE
RUSSIAN FORCES SETTING UP OCCUPATION ZONES IN GEORGIA
Russian forces remaining in Georgia have switched from the role of invasion troops to that of occupation troops, seizing chunks of territory in Georgia’s interior as well as key logistical nodes and arteries. The quick and smooth switch from the invasion to the occupation mode,... MORE
RUSSIAN TROOPS IN GEORGIA: PULLOUT, PULL-BACK, OR STAY PUT?
Russian troops were supposed to withdraw by August 22 from all of Georgia’s interior areas. That was Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s word to Nicolas Sarkozy, when the French president -- broker of the August 12-13 armistice -- telephoned Medvedev several times afterward for clarification. Some... MORE
NATO MINISTERIAL MEETING DEALS GINGERLY WITH RUSSIA’S WAR ON GEORGIA
For an organization that has come to rely heavily on words and symbolism, NATO issued a disconcertingly evasive communiqué at its emergency meeting on Georgia (NAC Statement, August 19). The North Atlantic Council held a “special session” at the level of Foreign Ministers in Brussels... MORE
RUSSIA NULLIFIES FRENCH-BROKERED ARMISTICE IN GEORGIA
The Kremlin has already nullified the agreement on cessation of hostilities in Georgia, which French President Nicolas Sarkozy had brokered with Presidents Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow and Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbilisi on August 12-13 (see EDM, August 13, 18). Russia has junked the six-point agreement... MORE
BEYOND SOUTH OSSETIA AND ABKHAZIA: MORE RUSSIAN NIBBLING AT GEORGIAN TERRITORY?
While breaching its six obligations under the French-brokered armistice agreement, Russia is using the same agreement’s loopholes to justify the continuing military occupation and vandalization of Georgian territories (see EDM, August 13, 18). Moscow demands the creation of a Russian-controlled “security zone” farther south from... MORE
RUSSIA PREPARING TO SPLINTER GEORGIA AFTER SARKOZY-BROKERED ARMISTICE
The Kremlin is not honoring the French-brokered agreement on cessation of hostilities and troop withdrawal from Georgia. Russian troops are roaming and rampaging at will through parts of Georgia and are preparing to seize chunks of its territory for the long term. Meanwhile, Russia brandishes... MORE