GDRus-GeWarMay09.doc

Blaming Moscow: The Power of the Anti-Russian Lobby By Andrei P. Tsygankov Appeared in: Global Dialogue, Vol. 11: “After Georgia”, Winter/Spring 2009. Introduction The Russia-Georgia war has reflected failure of the existing international system to maintain peace and stability in the Caucasus. All parties – Georgia, Russia and the West – are responsible for the crisis, albeit to a varying degree. In addition to the roles played by governments of Georgia, South Ossetia, Russia, and the United States, one must not overlook the role played by non-governmental organizations. Influential groups within the American establishment favored the U.S. military hegemony and the triumph of American-style democracy. In response to the policy vacuum in Washington after 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq, these groups have promoted a tough stand against Russia presenting it as a threat to the United States’ values and interests. The five-days war in the Caucasus has became a critical case for testing power of the anti-Russian groups within the American establishment to influence the official Russia course. Russia has insisted on having important interests in the Caucasus and vigorously opposed Georgia’s rapproachment with the United States and NATO. Although the anti-Russian lobby, or the Lobby did not achieve its main objective of isolating Russia from the West, it has greatly contributed to growing perception of Russia as a resurgent, unpredictable, potentially dangerous, and prone to bullying its neighbors. Suffice it to recall the White Houses initial reaction to the recent crisis in the South Caucasus, with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice comparing Russias role to the Soviet Unions invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and Vice President Dick Cheney vowing to punish Russia for its aggression.” Although Russia’s and America’s interests in the Caucasus are different, they are not incompatible. To Washington, Georgia is a potential ally as a transit territory, home to non-R