TRNS Interviews: Rep. Tom Graves

Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.) talks with TRNS shortly after President Obama presented a joint session of Congress with his vision of how to boost job growth and spur the economy. (0:30)

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Robert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr.: The Internet Educates The Citizenry

by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

Robert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr., the 2008 Libertarian Party nominee for President and former U.S. Congressman (R-Ga.) , talks about today's "tea bag" protests and how the use of the internet can educate and organize citizens. (00:34)
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How the U.S. can improve relations with Georgia

Salome Zourabichvili, chairman at the Georgia's Way Party and former minister of foreign affairs in Georgia, says what the U.S. needs to correct in their relationship with Georgia. Zourabichvili says prioritizing 'country relations' over friendships with Georgian leaders will be the "real success" of American policy in encouraging a democratic Georgia. (1:10)
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Russia will not deter Iranian nuclear program

Military historian and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute Fredrick Kagan says that we do not need to maintain perfect relations with Russia in hopes of deterring the Iranian nuclear program, since Russia will support Iran either way (0:39).
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Russia granted de-facto sovereignty over former Soviet states

Military historian and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute Fredrick Kagan discusses what would happen if the U.S. took the same liberties as Russia and contends that the U.S. has allowed Russia to take de-facto sovereignty over former Soviet states (0:40).
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Future with Russia will be hard to navigate

Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns explains the future of US and Russian relations and explains that they may be strained.
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No business as usual with Russia

Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns explains the steps that the Bush administration has taken in dealing with Russian hostility.
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Cyber attacks hit Georgia

Deputy Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security Paul A. Schneider describes how Russia used cyber attacks against Georgia. (0:23)
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Ron Paul says State Department never considered whether Georgian aid could be better spent here

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) describes an exchange yesterday before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs when he asked a representative of the State Department whether they ever considered whether the aid money sent to Georgia could be better used to help people in the United States. Paul says the State Department official responded, "Nope, never thought of that." Paul was speaking at a press conference on third-party presidential candidates at the National Press Club. (0:39)
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Second Cold War unacceptable to Edelman

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Eric Edelman says we do not want a second Cold War. Edelman says that we still should protect Georgia.
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Lieberman asks about Russian interest in Ukraine

Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) asks about the significance of many Russian passports recently given to Russian-Ukranians and the possible link to a conflict between the countries. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Eric Edelman indicated there was reason for worry. (1:11)
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Russia Georgia Conflict - Background and Context

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* The history of Georgia is full of conflict, and for thousands of years its inhabitants have constantly struggled to maintain their territorial independence. Before the might of Russia was first felt in the 18th century, Georgia had been a part of many great empires (such as those of Rome, Byzantium, Ottoman Turkey, and Safavid Persia), though it has also gone through periods of hard-fought-for independence.


* In 1801 the Russian Tsar took advantage of internal conflict in Georgia and in September Alexander I confirmed the incorporation of Russia's southern neighbour into the Empire.


* By the end of the century a national liberation movement had developed in opposition to Russian rule. The Marxist Social Democratic Movement was gaining much support and the Menshevik wing of the party (more moderate than its revolutionary brother, Bolshevism) came to dominate politics in Georgia, as in the rest of Russia.


* Notably, Joseph Stalin, a native of Georgia, came to lead the revolutionary Bolshevik party in his home country.


* Georgian nationalism was widespread, and when the Revolution of 1917 plunged Russia into disarray, this territory declared its independence as the Democratic Republic of Georgia. This freedom was short-lived, however, and early in 1921 the Bolsheviks' Red Army annexed Georgia to Russia once more.


* Georgia was ruled by the Soviet Union until 1991. Soviet Rule was bloody, and around 50,000 people were killed between 1921 and 1924, while Stalin purged another 150,000. Georgia's relations with the Soviet Union were never very good: they suffered under Krushchev's policy of de-Stalinisation, which was strongly critical of the always-nationalistic Georgian people (since Stalin himself was Georgian).


* Communist Georgia endured further problems in the late 1980s: the First Secretary, Patiashvili, was ill-equipped to deal with the challenges brought by Perestroika, and violence increased between the Soviet authorities, Georgian nationalists and other nationalist minority groups (notably those from Abkhazia and South Ossetia). A landmark event was the violent break-up of a peaceful demonstration at the government building in Tbilisi, the capital, on April 9th, 1989- twenty Georgians were killed, and hundreds more were wounded or poisoned. The event contributed to the radicalisation of Georgian politics and encouraged many to conclude that an end to Soviet rule was desirable.


* Independence finally came on April 9th 1991, after the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia held a referendum on March 31st- this was approved by 98.9% of the vote. In the following years Georgia experienced high levels of political unrest and violence; for example the first president, Gamsakhurdia, was ousted in a violent coup d'etat only a few months after taking office. Further problems ensued in 1992 as ethnic and separatist clashes occurred in Abkhazia and South Ossetia as the regions attempted to break with Georgia; hundreds of thousands of refugees fled to Russian-controlled territories in the north. Gamsakhurdia later returned and led a rebellion against the government, though this was successfully crushed.


* Relations with Russia deteriorated from the mid-1990s onwards due, in part, to the pro-Western stance of Georgia's leaders which Russia has been strongly opposed to. The United States sent considerable amounts of aid to Georgia, for example setting up the Georgia Train and Equip Programme to assist the nation's military, and Georgia signed a strategic partnership with NATO, expressing desire to join both NATO and the EU. A powerful coalition of pro-Western reformists led by Mikheil Saakashvili, among others, united in November 2003 to oppose Shevardnadze's corrupt government in the parliamentary elections- massive demonstrations were organised in Tbilisi when it became apparent that the elections were rigged. After two weeks of tension Shevardnadze resigned, and Saakashvili won the presidential election of January 2004 with a huge majority of 96% of votes cast. Saakashvili has been in power in Georgia ever since, and has faced many problems- peace in the unrecognised autonomous republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia has always been fragile and until now has relied on assistance from Russia and the United Nations.


* Until Russia's invasion of Georgia this August, relations between the two nations have been difficult given Russia's continuous support of the separatist governments of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as the presence of two Russian garrisons in these regions. The Georgia-Russia Espionage Controversy of 2006 also did much to harm relations between the two states, when in September four Russian officers were arrested in Georgia on charges of espionage. A diplomatic war ensued which world organisations, such as the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, attempted to diffuse.


* The rising tensions between Russia and Georgia in 2008 have been expressed chiefly through continuous denunciations and accusations by both sides, while violence has increased in separatist, pro-Russian Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The immediate build-up to the August 2008 military conflict began when Russia dropped the economic sanctions imposed on Abkhazia by the Commonwealth of Independent States in March of the same year- Karl Bildt, the Swedish Foreign Minister, stated that this action looked like a 'de facto annexation', and his opinion was certainly shared in Georgia. The crisis deepened when a Georgian unmanned, unarmed, aerial vehicle was shot down over Abkhazia on April 20th- Georgia accused Russia of being responsible, on the basis of video footage of a Russian MiG-29 shooting down the drone. Early in May Russia and Abkhazia responded by claiming that three more Georgian reconnaissance drones had been shot down, and they declared that Georgia was planning a military offensive on the region, though these allegations were dismissed by Georgian officials as provocative and propagandistic.


* On May 31st Russia sent apparently-unarmed railway troops into Abkhazia, allegedly to repair a railway line- this was condemned as an act of aggression and an infringement of Georgia's sovereignty by NATO's Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, and the troops were pulled out on July 30th. In July violence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia continued to escalate, and in Moscow there was outcry over Condoleezza Rice's endorsement of Georgia's proposed membership of NATO. On July 15th, Abkhazia and South Ossetia were said to be planning to join the Union of Russia and Belarus but that they would need to be recognized as independent before they could join the Union as members. Georgia said on July 16 that if Russia did not accept a plan for resolving the conflict Georgia would be forced to "unilaterally bring an influence to bear on the deployment of armed forces in Abkhazia."


* Tensions reached breaking point and on August 1st South Ossetian and Georgian forces clashed- seven days later Russia sent troops across the border, transforming a separatist conflict into a full-scale war between Russia and Georgia.



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Sec. Rice statement on Georgia

Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice spoke to reporters after briefing President Bush on the ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the crises in Georgia.
She said that all parties must agree to a cease-fire, and all military operations need to stop. The US is for the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of Georgia and support the democratically elected Georgian government. (1:54)


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Russian Ambassador: We'll Pull Troops From Georgia When Our "Conditions" Are Met

Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. Vitaly Churkin, claimed that Russia will cease military activity when Georgia is ready to "accept our modest conditions." (5:23)
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Georgian Ambassador Claims President Targeted By Russians

Mr. Irakli Alasania, Georgian Ambassador to the United Nations, claimed that Russia targeted Georgian president in air-strikes. Mr. Alasania also strongly urged the Security Council to stop the violence immediately, lest the UN suffer the fate of the League of Nations (2:27)
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US Ambassador Khalilzad: "We cannot be indifferent to the brutality of these attacks"

United States ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, expressed a desire to retain positive relations with Russia, but stressed that the violence must stop. Mr. Khalilzad also stated that a draft resolution will circulate in the Security Council, and it's passage depends entirely on Russia (5:00)
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Security Council President Briefs Press on Continuing Georgia Russia Violence

The President of the United Nations Security Council, Mr. Jan Grauls, discussed the status of the Security Council discussions on Russia / Georgia violence. (2:03)
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French Ambassador Urges Diplomacy Between Georgia and Russia

French ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, pledged support of the European Union, but urged diplomacy. (4:04)
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BREAKING: Passage of Georgia Resolution Dependent on Russia, Khalilzad Says

Listen to Audio Report as Security Council Reports on Georgia Russia Violence (3:01)





- Georgia called for the Security Council to take the situation very seriously, recalling the failed League of Nations should the Security Council fail to act
- France, president of the European Union, reiterated Europe's solidarity with Georgia, and called for an immediate stop to violence
- France called for territorial respect and attention to Georgia's sovereignty
- However, France stated repeatedly that the Security Council does not "act in a vacuum"
- France repeatedly called for diplomacy and reiterated that the Security Council is "not a place for conflict"
- Khalilzad, US ambassador to the UN, stated that the Security Council asked fundamental questions to Russia: intent to target civilians, intent to target Georgian president, intent to overthrow Georgia- As of yesterday, Khalilzad said, Russia had no reply
- Khalilzad stated that attacks have intensified and spread
- Khalilzad stated that the longer the attacks persist, the more damage done to US/Russia relations
- A resolution has been drafted, and according to Khalizad it's passage is entirely dependent on Russia
- US does not want to damage relations with Russia, but "we cannot be indifferent to the brutality of these attacks"
- Khalilzad continued, "we are united in our objective that Georgia must be restored"
- Russian Ambassador stated that two two states will love together as two sovereign entities, but questioned Georgia's ability to live with the breakaway province of South Ossetia
- Churkin "US Russia relations are not our responsibility"
- Russia denied targeting Georgian President
- At this time, Russia has refused to pull troops out from Georgia

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President Bush statement on Georgia

President Bush speaks in the Rose Garden upon return from his trip to Asia.
He is deeply concern as Russia has invaded a sovereign neighboring state and threatens their democratically elected government. Bush states that such actions are unacceptable in the 21st century, and Russia needs to be true to its word and to act to end this crisis. (2:32)




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