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15 August 2008



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Russo-Georgian War Shows EU Divisions

If the Russian response to the Georgian actions in South Ossetia illustrated the limits to Washington’s power, it also cast into question the entire idea of a European Union foreign policy. Washington can’t do much, but Brussels can’t even decide to do anything. For Russia, this is a bigger victory than demonstrating the Bush administration’s inability to influence events.

On the one end of the spectrum, there are members of the EU who wholeheartedly back Georgia. Foremost among these are the Baltic States and with as much enthusiasm but less volume Poland and the Czech Republic. Given the history of these nations, it’s easy to see why they take that view. There but for the grace of God . . . .

At the other end is “old Europe,” or more accurately the Paris-Berlin club, which has outright opposed Ukrainian and Georgian membership in NATO. They simply don’t want to do anything to overtly condemn Russia’s response. Perhaps, they believe quiet diplomacy is more likely to carry the day. At the same time, one must note that much of Germany’s fuel comes from Russia these days, and France is in the same boat but to a lesser degree.

In the middle are states like Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland and Spain. Diplomatic sources say these countries don’t want the creation of an “anti-Russian front.” Their fear is that any action now may become a precedent for policy later with regard to Russia. They realize that for better or worse, they share a continent with the Big Bear, and there’s no reason to institutionalize this issue into a permanent confrontation. Many of them are, however, not happy with the Russians over Georgia.

These divisions are far worse than the divisions between the major political parties or blocs in any EU nation. It is hard to see a German or French political party vary greatly in its opinion from government policy. In the Baltic nations, the only thing an opposition party is likely to say is that the government isn’t anti-Russian enough. The Russo-Georgian conflict illustrates the unpleasant truth -- the EU remains more of an economic rather than a political entity.

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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