Salami Tactics
After days of suspense with Russia’s “will they, won’t they?” withdrawal from undisputed Georgian territory the BBC now reports that they plan to leave a contingent of 500 troops in a “buffer zone” outside the breakaway republics.
In all likelihood this should have been expected. Even Russia is not bellicose or secure enough to think that it could have sent its tanks all the way to Tbilisi with impunity. The strategy it is adopting instead is a continuation of the salami tactics that prevailed during the Communist era. Rather than aiming for decisive victory you opt for small individual achievements that eventually accumulate into overall victory. Thus from a “peacekeeping” mission in an unrecognised breakaway territory, Russia has managed to increase its foothold in Georgia to occupying parts of its territory whose sovereignty is undisputed. From there it will be able to further increase its grip on the country until it reverts to the position of a satellite state within two decades.
The West must be clear on this issue: any Russian military presence in Georgia outside the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia is unacceptable. There is no justification for their forces having any presence in such areas: if they are a peacekeeping force then their mandate extends only as far as restoring the status quo ante bellum. If they cannot do that then they must stop using the mantle of peacekeeping.
Georgia has been a significant ally of the West and a prime candidate for NATO membership. It shares our values and the West must be clear that it offers a positive alternative to the bullying chekist paranoia of Putin’s Russia. We may not have been able to stop the invasion, but we must ensure an equitable peace. There must be no acquiescing in this attempt by Russia to further undermine Georgian sovereignty. To do so would encourage Russia to commit further acts of aggression. The West must do everything within its ability to stop Russia establishing a foothold in Georgia proper.
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