A war that could have been avoided

One of the main lessons to be drawn from the bloody conflict over South Ossetia is that the West cannot afford to make promises it cannot fulfil. That is, the US in particular bears a considerable responsibility for the Georgian assault on South Ossetia given the support it gave it in terms of arming and financing the Georgian military and also pushing for its membership in Nato. The war has also shown that Washington will not always come to the rescue of its allies in their time of need.

Georgia's reckless act proved very costly and bloody. However, even though Tbilisi should have anticipated a strong Russian response, what has followed since the signing of the ceasefire agreement is totally unacceptable, with Russian forces still put in Gori.

This was an avoidable war. Weak Western diplomacy failed to prevent it - similar to what happened in Sarajevo. And now that US and Polish officials have signed a deal for Poland to host a missile system on its territory, things have become even more tense. This kind of provocation, in this day and age, is highly dangerous. Just as the US wouldn't tolerate Russian missiles in its neighbourhood, so too Russia. Besides, comments made by Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday that Georgia is on a clear path to Nato membership do not help either. No one wants a return to a Cold War-style confrontation; all parties must adopt a diplomatic approach, and desist from unilateral actions.