Conflicting Goals

Conflicting Goals

“We must be wary of the steel vise in which many governments are slowly crushing civil society and the human spirit,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Georgia recently. As the United States has begun to engage more with Russia following the capture of the twelve accused Russian spies, eastern European nations have grown wary of the double-talk coming from the Administration about Russian actions. On June 24, President Obama met with Russian President Dmitri A. Medvedev in a 'hamburger summit' which the Georgian government took as a bad sign of relations to come.

Georgia, whose poor relations with Russia have been marked by the Russian occupation of Georgian territory, hopes to rely on the United States' sphere of influence-type control in the area to push back against Russian involvement. Georgia is still involved in regular skirmishes with Russian forces along the borders.
The double-edged rhetoric coming out of the Administration in terms of Russia is unfortunately similar to that used when discussing issues like Israel. While the US has always taken a shyly pro-Israel stance, American politicians are always quick to condemn any Israeli violence. However, any condemnation on the part of Americans means absolutely nothing unless it is echoed in talks with Israel and unless action is taken.
The same is true for Russia. While Americans may be hesitant to criticize Russia due to the long history of volatile relations, perhaps simply telling Georgians that the US is sympathetic is not enough. If the US wishes to continue to refer to itself as a beacon for human rights worldwide, then some actual standing up for human rights may be necessary. It is possible to both be allies with Russia and Israel while taking realistic action to suport Georgia or the Palestinians. Unfortunately, today the US says they do both, but leaves the struggling people of Georgia and the non-existant state of Palestine behind.
There is no 'quick fix' for standing up for human rights while being allied with nations who don't always do the same. But there is a middle ground that could be reached by America when it takes the role of the more impartial supporter of people in general as opposed to the agenda of a single country.


Pool photo by Irakli Gedenidze via the New York Times