Masthead graphic based on a painting by Gudrun Thriemer.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Mikhail Gorbachev, "A path to peace in the Causcasus," Washington Post,

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.

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.

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