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Regarding the June 4 editorial "Another Summer in Georgia":
Three additional points can help clarify how to avoid renewed Georgian-Russian-South Ossetian fighting.
First, not only are Russian military exercises in the North Caucasus alarming to Georgians, but Russians and South Ossetians also viewed recent NATO exercises in Georgia as saber-rattling.
Second, while those who see South Ossetia as part of Georgia fault Russia for not withdrawing to its pre-Aug. 7 positions in Georgia, Russian recognition of South Ossetian independence allows Russians to claim to have more than honored the Aug. 12 cease-fire plan by having withdrawn entirely from Georgia.
Third, South Ossetians and Russians complain that Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has not made a non-use-of-force pledge. While his signing of the cease-fire might be seen to constitute such a pledge, South Ossetians would find some reassurance in a clearer and more public pledge.
The United States should be calling on not only Russia but also on Georgia and South Ossetia to avoid renewed fighting. Making sense of the Caucasus requires understanding the multiple divergent perspectives at work there, including the ways that all of the actors could potentially destabilize or help stabilize the situation.
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