Lecture explores Russia-Georgia war

March 2, 2009 by Lisa Rush 

Lecture looks at causes, effects of a modern-day conflict

The campus community was offered a fresh perspective on a recent clash Tuesday, as part of the Barrick Lecture Series.

Paul Werth, professor of history at UNLV, provided an in-depth historical analysis of the “frozen conflict” that recently reignited between Russia and Georgia.

Werth discussed the history, geography, religion, ethnography and “energy politics” of the conflict to provide a framework to understanding the reasons for the Russian invasion of Georgia in August of 2008.  

Werth claimed that the conflict is an example of the clash between Russia and much of the West over the question of how far east the West will extend, referring to conflicts in the 1990s over whether former Soviet republics should be allowed to join the North American Treaty Organization and the European Economic Community.

Georgia has been working to gain entrance into NATO, but there have been disagreements on whether the autonomous regions of South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Adjara will be considered their own entities or part of the Georgian Republic, causing conflict and instability and ultimately stalling its acceptance into international organizations.

South Ossetia and Abkhazia have relied on Russia for protection against Georgian invasion and last August, Georgian troops invaded South Ossetia in an attempt to take physical control of the region that had previously enjoyed semi-autonomy.

Russia responded militarily, utilizing strategic bombers, sending in columns of tanks and troops to aid South Ossetia initially and subsequently, destroying much of the Georgian military infrastructure. The Russian military response was largely condemned by Western countries as a disproportionate response.    

“Against our Cold War perception of the USSR, what’s striking about the USSR…is it promoted ethnic and national differences in the 1920s through the 1930s,” Werth noted.  He explained how the USSR simultaneously promoted nationalism and ethnic diversity so that “communism [could] take a non-Russian form.” 

“Soviet national policies were deeply contradictory,” Werth said.

“On one hand, it was fostering industrialization…and the integration of modernized society. On the other hand… the promotion of national and ethnic distinctiveness.” The speaker claimed that this disparity was one of the major factors that lead to the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.

Werth suggested that the unfreezing of the regional conflict might depend on the resolution of the interests of other powerful countries in oil pipelines running through the heart of the region.

Dean Dupalo, professor of political science and former Air Force officer, praised the comprehensiveness of Werth’s presentation.

“It was a one-hour briefing that would make any intelligence officer or state department briefer envious,” he said.

Dupalo commented on the influence of the Russia-Georgia clash on U.S. foreign policy, saying the clash demonstrates “Russia’s willingness to militarily engage what was a country seeking entry into NATO.”