Now we have a new term, "Rogue Client States"
Glenn Snyder wrote about the balance of influence back in the 90s and the current conflict is a excellent example of entrapment and coalition commitments. Putting IR theory aside though, I still don't really understand what the US's interest in Georgia is and why exactly it requires our support. If the ultimate goal is to wrest away central asia from Russian influence and to isolate it militarily and politically, then we are playing with fire and could potentially risk unleashing a conflict on a scale that nobody would expect. It clear, for example, that rhetoric about supporting democracies is nonsense, since the Saakashvili regime is clearly un-democratic, and the same kind of discourse is applied to full blown authoritarian countries like Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. So what is the logic behind continued support of Georgia? Saakashvili was very much an American project from the start, we placed him in power, armed him, provided unlimited diplomatic support. What was the grand strategy behind all these moves? Should we take warmongers like Brzezinski at their word and understand this as yet another move in a game to eliminate Russia a state? Or is this simply another ideologically motivated blunder, the hypocrisy of which is evident to everyone but the policy-makers?
good point; snyder really is the touchstone for any discussion of this sort...
I can see how from how a theoretical point of view it would be desirable for the United States to eliminate the Russian state-you remove a possible adversary that has nuclear weapons. But we're moving to a mulitlateral world and in that kind of international system, the relationship between Russia and the U.S. isn't as important as it once was-even to the United States. I would say that the U.S.'s relationship with China is a lot more important. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the next administration is going to face a lot of tough choices (Afghanistan, Pakistan to name just two). If you look at it in this context, is the preservation of a free and democratic Georgia a top priority for US foreign policy, and if it is how far are you willing to go in order to implement that policy?
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