 |
Regarding the Oct. 8 Opinion piece, "I survived the Georgian war. Here's what I saw": South Ossetian voices have been far too absent from international discussion of a war dubbed the "Russian-Georgian" war in US media.
Lira Tskhovrebova's reflections on the war she lived through illustrate the folly of the US reaction to that war. She is right to ask how the US can justify "sending another billion dollars to Georgia and nothing for those Georgians attacked."
Regardless of the political status the US attributes to South Ossetia, US aid should go as much to South Ossetian-controlled and Abkhaz-controlled areas as to Georgian-controlled areas. Moreover, part of that aid should be earmarked for peace building, conflict resolution, and trauma healing. Otherwise, US expectations of an escalating cold war can be nothing but a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The combination of Russian aid directed through Tskhinvali and Sukhumi and US aid directed through Tbilisi would make this region the epicenter of increasing US-Russian tensions.
Ms. Tskhovrebova reminds us the region is first and foremost people's home.
This material is presented as the original analysis of analysts at S-CAR and is distributed without profit and for educational purposes. Attribution to the copyright holder is provided whenever available as is a link to the original source. Reproduction of copyrighted material is subject to the requirements of the copyright owner. Visit the original source of this material to determine restrictions before reproducing it. To request the alteration or removal of this material please email [email protected].