After August: Causes, Results and Policy Implications of the Russo- Georgian War

摘要

The war between Russia and Georgia is a watershed event in the post- Soviet history of the Eurasian geopolitical space. The war represents a direct challenge to U.S. interests in the region, which can be defined as access to energy supplies, continuation of the security contributions and defense reform efforts of regional states, support for the political and economic transition processes underway there, and setting conditions for Russia's own political and economic transformation. How the United States responds to this crisis will play a large part in determining the geopolitical future of Eurasia. The Russo- Georgian War has thrust Georgia to the foreground of the discussion of U.S. policy in Eurasia. Our future policy in Georgia will affect not only that country, but also other potential NATO members such as Ukraine and Azerbaijan; new NATO members with their own histories of subjugation by Russia; the NATO Alliance itself; and finally Russia and its relationship to the West. While there are certainly no simple options in the wake of the Russo-Georgian War, the stakes in the region and beyond are high enough to demand a comprehensive and coherent U.S. response.