How did Russian troops first get involved in the South Ossetia?
A. Georgia agreed in 1992 to have Russian troops in South Ossetia as part of a cease-fire, and over time, it solidified into Russian peacekeeping forces. It has no international mandate, it’s just recognized by bilateral agreements. What that did is create a situation over the last couple of years where you have Russian troops, South Ossetian militia and Georgian troops in a very small place. There’s potential for escalation at any time. It’s a very precarious situation. The Russian side has become more assertive in establishing protectorate over South Ossetia in the last half-year, ever since Kosovo was declared independent. The Georgians probably felt like they were running out of time and acted in a more extreme fashion. This time, they just decided to go for it and try to re-establish control over South Ossetia with military operations, which provoked enormous Russian response. Q. Critics, including President Bush, have called the Russian response disproportionate. Do you agree? A.
