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We are now in the diplomatic phase of the Georgian war. The Russians, responding to Georgia’s attack on South Ossetia, invaded Georgia. Their troops remain in Georgia. No one outside of Georgia is prepared to do anything about it. No one wants to admit that they are doing nothing about it, so they hold meetings and then decide to do nothing about it. This is called diplomacy.
The European Union held their emergency meeting on Georgia three weeks after the war began. They were deeply divided between those countries, like Germany, who wanted to do nothing at all, and others like Britain that wanted to do something symbolic. The hardliners won, and the Europeans announced that they are suspending negotiations with Russia on the future of economic ties. Since those talks have been under way for a year, the suspension is hardly likely to stun the Russians. Sanctions were rejected. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner put it bluntly and honestly: “Sanctions by those who supply are very different than sanctions by those who are on the receiving end and who can’t close the tap.”
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