The U.S. has courted the country of Georgia for some years now. But why? It’s a tiny nation of only five million. One part of the complex answer is simple – oil.
Georgia sits in a tough neighborhood, shoulder to shoulder with huge Russia, not far from Iran, and astride one of the most important crossroads for the emerging wealth of the rich Caspian Sea region. A U.S.-backed oil pipeline runs through Georgia, allowing the West to reduce its reliance on Middle Eastern oil while bypassing Russia and Iran.
The dispute makes the Bush administration the middleman between a promising ally it wants to help and the powerful former adversary next door whose help it needs.
Washington praises democratic development in Georgia, delights in its contribution of combat troops for Iraq and acknowledges valuable intelligence and counterterrorism cooperation.
As usual in this region of the world, when conflict erupts, there are deep seated reasons on many fronts.
The conflict is so one-sided that Georgia has already submitted a request to have at least some of its 2,000 Iraq based troops flown back to their home by the U.S. to help fight in the conflict.
The ball was lobbed into Russia’s court by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Where that ball will be played is now anyone’s guess, but the potential for a regional conflagration is high. The United States could become involved at any moment if the diplomats don’t do their jobs.