Georgia On My Mind

My older brother, Peter, is a Peace Corps volunteer in Georgia. No, the other one. Yeah, the one that a bored Russian Army invaded over the last few days. A Russian army that hasn't seen action since its failed incursions into Chechnya. At last report, the Russians have entered the two break away provinces in Georgia, Abkhazia in the west (they made an amphibious assault there, though the "government" of Abkhazia welcomed them with open arms) and South Ossetia in the north. So far, Russia has yet to organize an armored break-out into the rest of Georgia, but given the fact that Georgia recalled its contingent of 2,000 soldiers from Iraq, and the fact the Russians have already crossed the internationally recognized border between the two states, it seems to be more a question of logistics rather than intent.


A Russian convoy on the move. Not a promising sight if you are Georgian.


Peter, along with 60 other Peace Corps volunteers and local staff, is holed up in a ski resort "somewhere in the north;" my mother couldn't give me an exact location. From the way he describes it, the resort has little strategic value, and he should be safe there for sometime. In fact, given the MO's of previous wars, invading generals and politicians tend to spare posh resorts in order to secure a haven for themselves in event of a long occupation. That being said, a glance at Google Earth shows that since "somewhere in the north" is concurrent with "along the Russian border," and thus the American State Department and Peace Corps might be better served negotiating directly with the invading Russian army for the safe evacuation of the volunteers. The front lines of the war, so far, are limited to South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but it is doubtful that Georgia's small army can contain a motivated Russian invasion. In the ensuing weeks, which are bound to be ugly for the Georgians if fighting continues, Georgian soldiers might melt back into the population to become "freedom fighters" a la a large swath of Iraqis in the Spring of 2003. My brother, along with the 60 other American volunteers, should best be long gone from the Caucasus by that time.

My brother also has a serious Georgian girlfriend that he left behind in the town of Telavi. I've never met her, but my mother and sister have, so she is something of a family friend. My main concern right now is for my brother's safety, but once that is assured (which I am confident of), she will become the focus of that concern. The Russian Army is not renowned for its human rights record. Their occupation of Berlin in 1945 was probably more traumatic than the war itself, especially for the women. So for her sake, and the sake of millions of other Georgian women aged 12 to 55, let's hope the Russians stop before they get to Tblisi.