President George Bush made clear to Russia that he opposes use of armed force to settle disputes between nations. He informed the Russian government aid would be sent to Georgia and it would be delivered by American troops who would be flying into Georgia. Secretary of State Rice bluntly told the Russians: “This is not 1968 an the invasion of Czechoslovakia where Russia can threaten a neighbor, occupy a capital, overthrow a government and get away with it. Things have changed.” The European Union was prepared to dispatch soldiers as part of a peacekeeping group that would assist in maintaining the cease fire agreement that President Sarkozy hammered out between Georgia and Russia.
Under terms of the cease fire, both sides would withdraw to their bases and allow humanitarian aid. It is still unclear about the presence of Russian “peacekeeping troops” in the breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The presence of George Bush as an opponent of the use of force to resolve problems is among the most laughable aspects of the current crisis. Actually, Russia acted in the same manner as did President Bush in 2003 when he ignored UN attempts to verify if WMD actually existed in Iraq. One can only wonder if the American president looks in the mirror of South Ossetia and sees his own reflection.
