Ex-US Ambassador Says US Must Back Georgia's Democracy

August 14, 2008

The conflict between Russia and Georgia will likely have long-term consequences for the US. Former US Ambassador to Romania Jim Rosapepe thinks the US response to the Russian invasion will either provide hope or despair to supporters of democracy around the world. Reflecting on his time in the region, Rosapepe wrote in an op-ed:

Romanians would tell us: Wait till Russia is back. When its economy rebounds and its political leadership regains self-confidence, watch out. This week, our Romanian friends are thinking, though they are too diplomatic to say it: We told you so.

I spoke with the former Ambassador yesterday, and asked him to discuss America's past missteps in the region, as well as how the US should move forward. Here's what he shared with me.

What could the US have done differently after the fall of the USSR? The US could have provided more economic aid to the former USSR, just like we helped the economies of Western European right after World War Two with the Marshall Plan.

What should the US do now? The US needs to stay focused and consistent in sending the message to democrats in Georgia and around the world that the US supports them and democratic values. The US should not abandon faith in what America stands for.

To find out what the Ambassador thinks about the priorities of everyday Americans, as well as his thoughts on Russia's future, read more.

The Russian invasion came as a surprise to most Americans last Friday morning. Should the events in this region be more important to Americans? Americans can't stay on top of what's happening in every small country around the world, and that's understandable. But what happens next in Georgia should be a top priority to Americans. The more peaceful democracies there are in the world, the safer America is, whether the democracies be in Georgia, Asia, or Latin America.

Will Russia ever be able to get along with its neighbors? Russia decided to make a political statement on Friday for whatever reason. But Russia's interests are consistent with its neighbors. Russia can be a safe, respected, and prosperous country, and so can its neighbors. Germany and France have proven that historically warring neighbors can coexist and prosper together.

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25 Comments

stephley 4 years 40 weeks

You had to figure Putin was going to attack something one day - he can't spend all his time killing journalists. Thanks, I like this one too.

stephley 4 years 40 weeks

You had to figure Putin was going to attack something one day - he can't spend all his time killing journalists. Thanks, I like this one too.

Jillness 4 years 40 weeks

I really like your new avtar, by the way!

Jillness 4 years 40 weeks

Yeah, I know Steph. Especially with Russia being one of the players, it kind of muddies up any chance for an honest account of what happened.

Jillness 4 years 40 weeks

Yeah, I know Steph. Especially with Russia being one of the players, it kind of muddies up any chance for an honest account of what happened.

stephley 4 years 40 weeks

'Bare bones factual' just isn't going to happen... there are way too many different elements and very complicated players.

Jillness 4 years 40 weeks

Anytime, Harm! I am still trying to sort things out myself. I just heard on NPR, that the 2 disputed territories are "disputed" because they do not like Georgia. Supposedly when the Soviet Union split up, Georgia went through a period where they were very nationalistic, especially about language. Since these 2 territories are more "ethnic" (that is what they called them, though not sure why), they have their own language and this nationalism threatened them. They wanted to be seperate from Georgia. Gets more confusing every day! I wish I could read a bare bones factual history about Georgia and what lead to this conflict. Right now I am piecing stuff together from different sources, and I worry I am getting wrong or biased info.

Jillness 4 years 40 weeks

stephley 4 years 40 weeks

It probably could, if only someone would get around to developing the process.

harmonyfrance 4 years 40 weeks

WOW Steph...so it's about Energy there too. Jeeze. I wish everything ran on garbage like in Back to the Future II.

harmonyfrance 4 years 40 weeks

Thank you Liberty! AND thanks Jill ;) . I don't like when I don't have time to keep up with the news.

stephley 4 years 40 weeks

A pipeline that runs through Georgia is the second largest in the world. The Russians are said to have included it as a target and Georgia's president has called the war a Russian attempt to "control energy routes." The pipeline runs through South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Both the Clinton and Bush administrations have given Georgia hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid, making it the leading recipient of U.S. arms and equipment in the former Soviet space.

stephley 4 years 40 weeks

A pipeline that runs through Georgia is the second largest in the world. The Russians are said to have included it as a target and Georgia's president has called the war a Russian attempt to "control energy routes." The pipeline runs through South Ossetia and Abkhazia.Both the Clinton and Bush administrations have given Georgia hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid, making it the leading recipient of U.S. arms and equipment in the former Soviet space.

popgoestheworld 4 years 40 weeks

Does anyone know why Georgia would move into disputed territories? Toddler or not, they are aware that Russia is a much powerful nation. Did they start this or not? And if they did, why? Did we say we'd go back them up?

Eilonwy 4 years 40 weeks

...wow too early to type...place the blame on Russia

Eilonwy 4 years 40 weeks

My mother made the analogy that this military conflict is akin to a adult attacking a toddler: although it's a blunt and reductivist, the sheer size, prowess, and capacities (financially, militarily and so forth) between the nations are astoundingly asymmetrical. This doesn't automatically place the blame (if that is even an appropriate term in which to frame the situation, most likely not); however, it certainly reflects even more poorly on Russian forces, I feel. Of course, I am biased and frankly uneducated in the nuances of the discord.

Jillness 4 years 40 weeks

The Georgian President spoke about McCain yesterday: (CNN) "“Yesterday, I heard Sen. McCain say, ‘We are all Georgians now,’” Saakashvili said on CNN’s American Morning. “Well, very nice, you know, very cheering for us to hear that, but OK, it’s time to pass from this. From words to deeds.” Saakashvili said action is more important than rhetoric in the face of “brutal” and “deliberate” Russian violence. He urged the United States to take the lead in installing an international peacekeeping force.

Eilonwy 4 years 40 weeks

Gosh, this has been so upsetting...

Eilonwy 4 years 40 weeks

I feel so strongly about this. One of my immediate family members is Georgian. In fact, he was born just approximately 150 miles from the the airport that was bombed. I can't even think about what may have happened to his other relatives. :(

Jillness 4 years 40 weeks

I also heard that unspent shells that fell on Georgia said, "This is for NATO", "This is for the US", etc.

Jillness 4 years 40 weeks

Harmony, it is my understanding that there are "disputed territories" in Georgia. Georgia moved troops in to reclaim the land for Georgia, and Russia reacted to their military move with waaaaaay too much military force, bombing civilians and moving in tanks further into Georgia. Very nasty situation. How should we stand up for democracy? I agree that the protecting Georgia is clearly in our best interest, but what are we to do? Send troops? Isn't that just a little too close to war with Russia? We are sending humanitarian aid, but I don't know what the correct answer is to resolve this. I think whatever we do, we need to act with other allies. We can not take this responsibility on by ourselves, nor should we be expected to.

LibertySugar 4 years 40 weeks

Hey HF — The entire op-ed provides some good background.

True Song 4 years 40 weeks

Seconded, Jude.

harmonyfrance 4 years 40 weeks

I've been really busy lately so I need to read up on this more. I don't understand what is going on. Is Putin Russia trying to re-claim Georgia as part of the motherland? I'm so confused as to why this is happening.

Jude C 4 years 40 weeks

"The US needs to stay focused and consistent in sending the message to democrats in Georgia and around the world that the US supports them and democratic values. The US should not abandon faith in what America stands for." Exactly.

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