Russian President Dmitry Medvedev appealed to China and other Central Asian nations to show its support for Russia’s actions in Georgia at a Shangai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tajikistan today. International press offered conflicting analysis, which of course, is no surprise. What is striking, however, is that the break was not along traditional media fault lines. The following is a snapshot of a few of the headlines…
(CNN) — Russia’s hopes of winning international support for its actions in Georgia were dashed Thursday, when China and other Asian nations expressed concern about mounting tensions in the region.
AP: Asian alliance snubs Russian plea for support
AFP: Medvedev hails support from China, Central Asia
Daily Telegraph Australia Moscow: Russia wins backing from China
Sydney Morning Herald Russia wins backing from China, Central Asia over Georgia
Which is it? Support or isolation? Of course Medvedev claims, “I am sure that the united position of the SCO member states will have international resonance…And I hope it will serve as a serious signal to those who try to turn black into white and justify this aggression,” The actual language of the joint declaration from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, however, points to a more subtle message of reserved support for Russia with clear caveats: namely, the respect for “the unity of the state and its territorial integrity.” It is important to note that none of the other SCO member states joined Russia in recognizing the independence claims of Georgia’s separatist regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Certainly, China is treading lightly on its response to the Georgia situation as it deals with its own internal seperatist movements in Tibet and Xinjiang.
The next US administration needs to highlight and exploit these subtle but important differences that arise between China and Russia on Georgia, and increase our strategic engagement efforts with NATO Partnership for Peace states in Central Asia.
