euro|topics - The consequences of the Caucasus crisis

Main focus of Monday, August 18, 2008

The consequences of the Caucasus crisis

Military action in the conflict between Georgia and Russia appears to have come to an end. Today the Russian troops are to begin their withdrawal. However it remains unclear what the political fallout of the crisis will be.

Magyar Nemzet - Hungary

Against the background of the conflict in the Caucasus, the conservative newspaper Magyar Nemzet sees the need for a "reappraisal" of European security policy: "The EU's room to manoeuvre is best demonstrated by the fact that the role of the ambitious French president and EU Council president is currently limited to that of messenger. ... We must dispel the illusions that established themselves in the heads of Western decision makers at the end of the Cold War which resulted in overly optimistic and flawed security policy. And above all, Europe too must rid itself of these illusions. ... The countries of Central Eastern Europe must not turn their backs on historical experience, and it would be wrong to expect them to do so. If the Russians have 'paranoid views', why shouldn't they? ... Today the decisive question for the countries of Eastern Europe is whether the EU can implement an effective and uniform security policy within the foreseeable future, one that provides protection from growing Russian influence in the region." (18/08/2008)

Le Figaro - France

In a guest article for Le Figaro newspaper, French President and current EU Council President Nicolas Sarkozy defends the peace plan negotiated for the Caucasus conflict, and criticises the shortcomings of EU institutions in dealing with such international crises. "This plan has not solved all the problems. ... But it has concluded a ceasefire between the two countries. ... If the Treaty of Lisbon were in force, the European Union would have institutions capable of dealing with an international crisis. ... This reconfirms my conviction that Europe's most important mission is to protect the Europeans." (17/08/2008)

Der Standard - Austria

Russia's political and economic pressure on those countries it refers to as its "close neighbours" prompts Austrian daily Der Standard to call for the process of integration of states like Georgia into the West to be accelerated: "The restoration of the Soviet empire minus its ideology is a concept that has been conjured up by Russia's foreign policymakers since the beginning of the Putin era in 2000 - elegantly packaged, for sure - for example as the demand for more balance in the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as regards vote monitoring or human rights reports. ... The 'Pax Russa' aims to create a system of dependent states around Russia. ... Georgia's destruction is a fact that not even the West can prevent any longer. Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the two secessionist provinces, are lost to the central government and in the long term to Georgia's inhabitants there. Nonetheless, the 'Pax Russa' cannot change Georgia's pro-Western political course. It is conceivable that the Caucasian republic could join Nato, which Moscow is trying to prevent, and draw closer to the EU once Michail Saakaschvili's era has ended. This would be a vital message for those countries within reach of 'Russia's peace'." (18/08/2008)

Delo - Slovenia

The political career of Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili is over, writes Delo newspaper: "The renovator of 2003 was quickly shown to be a semi-dictator ... And his days are perhaps numbered. ... The mood in Georgia shows that the war-shocked population would widely support a change of government." Early elections could conceivably see Georgians electing a new government opposed to NATO entry, the paper argues. "In this way the Georgians would help Russia close another door to the US. ... The EU and above all Germany are dependent on Russia economically. Germany, Italy and France blocked Georgia's NATO entry last year, the three countries that did the most business with Russia last year. The long-term interests of the EU lie in its neighbours developing more or less functioning democracies, free media and transparent governments. US-backed President Saakashvili brought none of this about." (18/08/2008)

Diário de Notícias - Portugal

In the aftermath of the war in the Caucasus the daily Diário de Notícias fears that military spending will increase all over the world: "Russia and Georgia fought only a small war which nonetheless was sufficient to show that the world is still a dangerous place and that the times of peace that were promised ... at the end of the Cold War in 1991 are still a fata morgana. Russians and Americans have not boosted their arsenal of nuclear weapons in recent years, but India, Pakistan and North Korea have reaffirmed their status as 'nuclear powers'. ... It is alarming to observe a worldwide process of rearmament. ... Russia's investments in weapons went up by 15 percent last year. ... China has tripled its investments over the past decade. ... In view of Russia's show of strength, which has frightened many countries (above all the Baltic states, Poland and the Ukraine), there is a risk that spending on weapons will increase even further - above all in the Eastern European countries where the US plans to install its controversial missile defence system." (16/08/2008)

» To the complete press review of Monday, August 18, 2008

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