[Good backgrounder]
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=be0c1714ee6d115a328ec24b7d081e62
Posted: Aug 12, 2008
New America Media
News Analysis
Chickens Come Home to Roost in Georgia
William O. Beeman
William O. Beeman is professor and chair of the department of
anthropology at the University of Minnesota. He has lived and worked in
the Middle East region for more than 30 years.
No one should be surprised that U.S. interference in the Caucasus has
led to the Russian invasion of South Ossetia. By mixing into the
volatile politics of the Caucasus, and trying to recruit the
governments there to become American "plumbers" for a variety of
purposes, the United States has only drawn Russian fire.
The Caucasus was one of the last territories added to the Russian
Empire in the 19th century. It was captured from the Qajar Empire of
Iran. The Caucasians never were fully incorporated into Greater Russia,
and maintained a fierce cultural separatism. Georgia in particular was
proudly nationalistic, with a distinctive language, cuisine, literary
tradition and writing system.
It is arguable that had Josef Stalin not been Georgian, the Caucasian
region might never have been part of the Soviet Union. Georgia chafed
under Soviet rule, and the wily Soviets enlisted other Caucasian
minorities to keep the peace in the region, including the Ossetians.
However, Stalinist nationalities philosophy made sure that no one
ethnic group ever became too strong. One way to do this was to draw
borders in such a way that groups would be split by administrative
boundaries. The division between North and South Ossetia was one of
these divisions.
The fall of the Soviet Union created three new independent nations in
the Caucasus: Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Almost immediately the
ethnic enclaves in all of these nations began to fulminate for
territorial reunification with their co-ethnic populations in other
nations. These included South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia,
Nakhchivan in Armenia, which is mostly Azerbaijani; and
Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan, which is mostly Armenian.
Enter the United States. U.S. interests in this region were vastly
different than that of the people of the region, or of Russia. The
United States wanted access to Caspian Sea oil, and it wanted to
contain Iran. The Caucasian nations were ideal for both purposes. The
United States blasted ahead with no regard for the historical tensions
in the region.
Therefore the United States blindly pursued a steady policy of propping
up the dictatorial regimes of the region. Georgia, Azerbaijan and
Armenia are among the most corrupt nations on earth, and it was easy to
buy a government. The price for this support was unquestioning alliance
with the United States and its regional policies.
Access to Caspian oil was one burning policy goal of all
administrations since 1990. The easy route for transport of petroleum
products from the region would be through Iran's well developed
pipeline system. Literally just a few miles of pipeline would connect
the Azerbaijani oil fields to the Iranian system. However, Washington
was ready to do almost anything to avoid providing any economic benefit
to Iran. Hence, working with U.S. petroleum producers, they constructed
a difficult and tortuous pipeline across Azerbaijan and Georgia, to
emerge in Turkey for shipping to the world. Many millions in government
bribes changed hands to make this happen.
As Iran became a target of the George W. Bush administration, having
friendly powers in the Caucasus became a priority for the Washington
establishment. The Velvet Revolution in Georgia was aided by the United
States. In Azerbaijan, the United States virtually installed the
current president, Ilham Aliyev, son of the previous president for
life, Heydar Aliyev. The election itself was highly controversial.
Heydar Aliyev was in Cleveland, Ohio for medical treatment, and was
rumored to have died four months before his son was elected. The United
States government was reportedly involved in the cover-up, and
supported Ilham's election despite mass protests among Azerbaijani
citizens.
President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia has close ties to the United
States, having graduated with law degrees from Columbia and George
Washington Universities. He was the leader of the Rose Revolution in
2003, which ousted President Eduard Shevardnadze, former Soviet foreign
minister, and striking a blow for Georgian independence. Elected
president in 2004, he also greatly improved ties with Israel, and
received an honorary doctorate from Haifa University, and has allowed
Israeli intelligence to operate in Georgia. All of this endeared him to
the Bush administration.
The United States tried to engineer the entrance of Georgia into NATO
in April, 2008, but was surprised when 10 NATO members vetoed the
proposal. Russia viewed this as a hostile act on the part of the United
States.
President Saakashvili's presidency has not stopped continual ethnic
violence from breakaway regions in his country. The South Ossetia
conflict is only one of the latest, but it was different in that it
serves as a smokescreen for Russian attacks on Saakashvili's
government.
If Saakashvili should be ousted from office, a major U.S. and Israeli
outpost would be lost. The fate of the oil pipeline would be in danger,
and pressure on Iran would lessen considerably. All of these outcomes
are seen as disastrous for the Bush administration. Thus all of the
high-minded rhetoric about Georgian sovereignty coming out of
Washington is ultimately cynical. If U.S. interests were not at stake,
no one would care.
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