Georgia-Russia Conflict: Gorbachev and Friedman's Perspectives

I had been looking around for a Russian perspective on the Georgian conflict and, finally, I got one. Ex-Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev wrote an op-ed that was translated and published in the New York Times yesterday. While it seems rather partisan, I was glad to get this perspective. Perhaps the most interesting bit for me was how aggressive Gorbachev seemed; I had always thought of him as a peaceful guy, a view that was solidified quite a bit by his Nobel Peace Prize. But, apparently, he feels, "The West would be wise to help achieve such an agreement now. If, instead, it chooses to blame Russia and re-arm Georgia, as American officials are suggesting, a new crisis will be inevitable. In that case, expect the worst." Those sound like fightin' words. Hehe. Interesting piece nevertheless.

[via NYT]

On the other hand, I agreed completely with Thomas Friedman's take on the conflict:

If the conflict in Georgia were an Olympic event, the gold medal for brutish stupidity would go to the Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin. The silver medal for bone-headed recklessness would go to Georgia’s president, Mikheil Saakashvili, and the bronze medal for rank short-sightedness would go to the Clinton and Bush foreign policy teams.

Friedman very clearly lays out several key facts: Russia violated the territorial sovereignty of another nation; Saakashvili was more than a little reckless when he decided to challenge the relative autonomy of South Ossetia; and the US has been unwise in the way it has wielded NATO as an anti-Russian weapon in Europe since the end of the Cold War. I really like this piece and feel anyone who wants a little more clarity on what is happening in Georgia should read it.

[via NYT]