"Empty words." That's how Moscow glibly dismissed NATO's criticism
yesterday of Russia's continued occupation of Georgia. The Russians may
be bullies, but like all bullies they know weakness when they see it.
The most NATO ministers could muster at their meeting in Brussels was a
statement that they "cannot continue with business as usual" with
Russia. There was no move to fast-track Georgia's bid to join NATO, nor
a pledge to help the battered democracy rebuild its defenses.
Asked about NATO reconstruction aid, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de
Hoop Scheffer pointedly said, twice, that it would go for "civilian
infrastructure." So here we have a military alliance going out of its
way to stress that it will not be providing any military aid. The
alliance didn't even cancel any cooperative programs with Russia,
though Mr. de Hoop Scheffer said "one can presume" that "this issue
will have to be taken into view." That must have the Kremlin shaking.
NATO leaders also failed to mention Ukraine, another applicant for NATO
membership that has angered Moscow in recent years and could become its
next target. Also missing was any indication that the alliance would
begin making long-delayed plans for defending the Baltic member states
and other countries on its eastern flank in case of attack. The only
good news of the day was that the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe will eventually send up to 100 monitors, albeit
unarmed, to Georgia.
Meanwhile, Russia found new ways to ignore the West and punish the
Georgians who are actually abiding by a cease-fire. After exchanging
prisoners with Georgia, Russian troops took about 20 Georgians prisoner
after briefly retaking the oil port of Poti, blindfolded them and held
them at gunpoint. Russia also sank another Georgian navy vessel and
stole four U.S. Humvees that had been used in U.S.-Georgian training
exercises and were waiting to be shipped out of the country.
All of this continues the Russian pattern of the past week, in which it
agrees to a cease-fire and promises to withdraw, only to leave its
forces in place while continuing to damage Georgia's military and even
its civilian centers. Russian commanders had the cheek to suggest that
a return to the troop placements before war broke out on August 8 means
that 2,000 Georgian soldiers would have to return to Iraq, from which
they had been airlifted home.
One of Moscow's goals is clearly to humiliate Georgia enough to topple
President Mikheil Saakashvili, so he can be replaced with a pliable
leader who will "Finlandize" the country, to borrow the old Cold War
term for acquiescing to Kremlin wishes. In the bargain, it is also
betting it can humiliate the West, which will give the people of
Ukraine real doubts about whether joining NATO is worth the risk of
angering Moscow. Judging by NATO's demoralizing response on Tuesday,
the Kremlin is right.
