‘The Cold War Is Long Over’

This month Georgia's Saakashvili chose to achieve his political vision through violence.

It has become fashionable to view Russia's involvement in South Ossetia through the prism of the cold war, with the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia as the blueprint. But such interpretations are historical folly. They ignore the recent history of the region. They ignore the great strides Russia has made since the collapse of the U.S.S.R. And they ignore the most basic fact of the current situation: that under cover of night, on Aug. 8, Georgia launched a military attack that killed hundreds of peacekeepers and civilians, creating a humanitarian disaster that led to an exodus of more than 30,000 refugees.

Let us be clear: Russia's involvement in South Ossetia is not about ideology. Nor is it about regime change in Georgia. Least of all is it about re-establishing the boundaries of the U.S.S.R. It is about restoring a fragile peace.

After the collapse of the U.S.S.R., Georgia's new leadership announced that "Georgia is for Georgians," ended regional autonomy inside Georgia and moved military forces to take Tskhinvali and Sukhumi. After a bloody war, the Georgian Army was ousted from South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russia helped mediate a ceasefire. In 1992, Russia and Georgia created a legal framework for stability in the South Caucasus, including joint peacekeeping operations in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe endorsed these efforts and sent observers to both regions. Conflict-settlement mechanisms had the consent and participation of all parties—including Georgia.

But since coming to power in 2004, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has sought to undermine this process and assert control over South Ossetia and Abkhazia. He has done this despite the wishes of the citizens of these regions, who remember the bloodshed of the early 1990s. This month Saakashvili chose to achieve his political vision through violence. That the Georgian military gave the operation the chilling code name "Clear Field" reveals Saakashvili's true objectives. The code name clearly smells of genocide.

When Georgian peacekeepers opened fire on their Russian colleagues, we had no choice but to respond. In violation of every agreement, Georgian forces rampaged through South Ossetia in a frenzy of killing, burning and destruction. Saakashvili must be called to account for these crimes. Our response has been targeted, proportionate and legitimate. On Aug. 9, Russian troops were sent to reinforce the remaining Russian peacekeepers and to protect the civilian population.