Georgia and the Limits of Russian Power
Moscow's occupation forces remain in the country, but the future looks bright for Tbilisi.
Two years ago this week I watched Russian tanks roll into Georgia. The Russians claimed they were defending South Ossetians from an unprovoked attack, but in fact the Georgians were defending themselves against Russian-backed separatism.
Moscow had invented South Ossetia in Stalin's time as an enclave to give the Russians a foothold on the Georgian side of the Caucasus Mountains, enabling them to exert control over Georgian territory. The South Ossetians were-and are-Moscow's proxies in this strategy.
During the 2008 incursion, I spoke to a Russian tank commander who was being served free beer and vegetables by a Georgian farmer ...
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