At Nuclear Summit Obama Snubs an Ally
BY Herschel Smith
14 years, 7 months ago
From Jackson Diehl:
Forty-seven world leaders are Barrack Obama’s guests in Washington Tuesday at the nuclear security summit. Obama is holding bilateral meetings with just twelve of them. That’s led to some awkward exclusions — and some unfortunate appearances, as well.
One of those left out was Mikheil Saakashvili, president of Georgia, who got a phone call from Obama last week instead of a meeting in Washington. His exclusion must have prompted broad smiles in Moscow, where Saakashvili is considered public enemy no. 1 — a leader whom Russia tried to topple by force in the summer of 2008. After all, Obama met with Viktor Yanukovych, the president of Ukraine and a friend of the Kremlin. And he is also meeting with the leaders of two of Georgia’s neighbors — Armenia and Turkey, both of which enjoy excellent relations with Russia.
So is anyone really surprised? Each passing day of our Caucasus policy makes another Russian invasion of Georgia more likely. Perhaps Obama’s previous assurances to Georgia ring hollow now? And perhaps Georgia will rethink sending the Georgian 31st Infantry Battalion, recently deployed to serve alongside the U.S. Marines in the Helmand Province, to assist with the campaign in Afghanistan?
Prior:
It’s Time to Engage the Caucasus
The Coming War in the Caucasus
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