A Path to Peace in the Caucasus
By Mikhail Gorbachev
12/08/08 "Washington
Post -- - MOSCOW
-- The past week's events in South Ossetia are bound to
shock and pain anyone. Already, thousands of people have died,
tens of thousands have been turned into refugees, and towns and
villages lie in ruins. Nothing can justify this loss of life and
destruction. It is a warning to all.
The roots of this tragedy lie in the decision of Georgia's
separatist leaders in 1991 to abolish South Ossetian autonomy.
This turned out to be a time bomb for Georgia's territorial
integrity. Each time successive Georgian leaders tried to impose
their will by force -- both in South Ossetia and in Abkhazia,
where the issues of autonomy are similar -- it only made the
situation worse. New wounds aggravated old injuries.
Nevertheless, it was still possible to find a political
solution. For some time, relative calm was maintained in South
Ossetia. The peacekeeping force composed of Russians, Georgians
and Ossetians fulfilled its mission, and ordinary Ossetians and
Georgians, who live close to each other, found at least some
common ground.
Through all these years, Russia has continued to recognize
Georgia's territorial integrity. Clearly, the only way to solve
the South Ossetian problem on that basis is through peaceful
means. Indeed, in a civilized world, there is no other way.
The Georgian leadership flouted this key principle.
What happened on the night of Aug. 7 is beyond comprehension.
The Georgian military attacked the South Ossetian capital of
Tskhinvali with multiple rocket launchers designed to devastate
large areas. Russia had to respond. To accuse it of aggression
against "small, defenseless Georgia" is not just hypocritical
but shows a lack of humanity.
Mounting a military assault against innocents was a reckless
decision whose tragic consequences, for thousands of people of
different nationalities, are now clear. The Georgian leadership
could do this only with the perceived support and encouragement
of a much more powerful force. Georgian armed forces were
trained by hundreds of U.S. instructors, and its sophisticated
military equipment was bought in a number of countries. This,
coupled with the promise of NATO membership, emboldened Georgian
leaders into thinking that they could get away with a
"blitzkrieg" in South Ossetia.
In other words, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was
expecting unconditional support from the West, and the West had
given him reason to think he would have it. Now that the
Georgian military assault has been routed, both the Georgian
government and its supporters should rethink their position.
Hostilities must cease as soon as possible, and urgent steps
must be taken to help the victims -- the humanitarian
catastrophe, regretfully, received very little coverage in
Western media this weekend -- and to rebuild the devastated
towns and villages. It is equally important to start thinking
about ways to solve the underlying problem, which is among the
most painful and challenging issues in the Caucasus -- a region
that should be approached with the greatest care.
When the problems of South Ossetia and Abkhazia first flared up,
I proposed that they be settled through a federation that would
grant broad autonomy to the two republics. This idea was
dismissed, particularly by the Georgians. Attitudes gradually
shifted, but after last week, it will be much more difficult to
strike a deal even on such a basis.
Old grievances are a heavy burden. Healing is a long process
that requires patience and dialogue, with non-use of force an
indispensable precondition. It took decades to bring to an end
similar conflicts in Europe and elsewhere, and other
long-standing issues are still smoldering. In addition to
patience, this situation requires wisdom.
Small nations of the Caucasus do have a history of living
together. It has been demonstrated that a lasting peace is
possible, that tolerance and cooperation can create conditions
for normal life and development. Nothing is more important than
that.
The region's political leaders need to realize this. Instead of
flexing military muscle, they should devote their efforts to
building the groundwork for durable peace.
Over the past few days, some Western nations have taken
positions, particularly in the U.N. Security Council, that have
been far from balanced. As a result, the Security Council was
not able to act effectively from the very start of this
conflict. By declaring the Caucasus, a region that is thousands
of miles from the American continent, a sphere of its "national
interest," the United States made a serious blunder. Of course,
peace in the Caucasus is in everyone's interest. But it is
simply common sense to recognize that Russia is rooted there by
common geography and centuries of history. Russia is not seeking
territorial expansion, but it has legitimate interests in this
region.
The international community's long-term aim could be to create a
sub-regional system of security and cooperation that would make
any provocation, and the very possibility of crises such as this
one, impossible. Building this type of system would be
challenging and could only be accomplished with the cooperation
of the region's countries themselves. Nations outside the region
could perhaps help, too -- but only if they take a fair and
objective stance. A lesson from recent events is that
geopolitical games are dangerous anywhere, not just in the
Caucasus.
The writer was the last president of the Soviet Union. He was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 and is president of the
Gorbachev Foundation, a Moscow think tank. A version of this
article, in Russian, will be published in the Rossiyskaya Gazeta
newspaper tomorrow.
© 2008 The Washington Post Company
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