After all, the US-Russian proxy war in Georgia is a perfect example of Great Power Rivalry.
But I’m not blogging these days.
But if I were, I might also note that the US has been coordinating closely with its man on the Seine, Nicolas Sarkozy. Formally, the French president is being consulted as the key US interlocutor because France currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. And yet, I wonder whether there isn’t something more to it. Yes, Sarkozy is the most pro-American French leader since… well, since Gilbert de Lafayette. But the flip side of the pull toward Sarkozy is the “problem” of Angela Merkel. No, I am not talking about the back rub. I’m talking about the relatively cozy relationship between the Germans and the Russians.
And where is Angela Merkel on the question of Georgia? Ask Moscow. Back in March, AFP reported:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel signalled on Monday that she opposes granting NATO membership to former Soviet republics Ukraine and Georgia.
“A country should become a NATO member not only when its temporary political leadership is in favour but when a significant percentage of the population supports membership,” Merkel said in Berlin in reference to Ukraine and Georgia.
“Countries that are themselves entangled in regional conflicts, can in my opinion not become members,” she added after talks with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday during a visit by Merkel to Moscow that NATO was aiming to replace the United Nations and warned this raised the potential for conflict.
The White House is already signaling a willingness to engage Russia militarily in Georgia. But it might prove quite awkward for Bush to have to “save Europe” from a future of Russian energy blackmail if Germany seems uninterested in being “saved.”
