Russia Ceases Georgia Offensive

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev put an end to Russian military action in neighboring Georgia late yesterday, hours after Russian troops attacked the strategically important town of Gori on the outskirts of the capital Tblisi. The Russian Army had opened a second front yesterday in another breakaway Georgian province, Abkhazia, leading to fears that it aimed to take over the former Soviet republic. But pressure from the West and a personal visit to Moscow from French President Nicolas Sarkozy may have stayed Russia's plans for the time being.

Now the focus will turn to the aftermath of the four-day conflict. The U.S. has called for Russia and Georgia to enter into negotiations to settle differences over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, autonomous regions of Georgia home to many Russians. But Russia is balking at the prospect of talks with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, demanding instead that the president resign from office and Georgian troops stay out of the two provinces, which are inside Georgia's internationally recognized territory.

Yesterday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made the absurd claim the Saakashvili's actions in attempting to subdue the breakaway provinces were worse than Saddam Hussein's. That plea for international legitimacy fell on deaf ears, however, as Russian claims of Georgian atrocities in South Ossetia could not be verified and the United Nations and NATO each scheduled meetings to discuss the crisis. Those would likely have resulted in more forceful condemnations of Russia and further damaged Russia's standing with the international community. It remains to be seen what if anything Russia may have gained from its intervention. For the time being, Russia has labeled itself an aggressor nation by its actions, and its relationship with the United States and Europe is in jeopardy of falling back into Cold War status.