EDITORIAL: NATO paralysis

The emergency meeting held on Tuesday in Brussels to deal with the occupation of Georgia by Russian forces resulted only in more words of censure rather than in a concerted plan to end the war. America and its European allies are once again at odds on how best to confront a major security threat.

NATO’s 26 members agreed to provide more humanitarian aid to Georgia and to establish a Georgia-NATO Commission to oversee Georgia’s entry into NATO. Also, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will send 20 observers to monitor the cease-fire agreement that Georgia signed with Russia. However, no funds will be disbursed for military reconstruction.

In the meantime, Russian forces continue to rampage well beyond the disputed region of South Ossetia. According to a Russian military spokesman on the ground, Russians are now creating “peacekeeping” posts that will remain even after the troops begin to withdraw on Friday - that is, if they do withdraw, as President Dmitry Medvedev has pledged. The establishment of new “peacekeeping” posts means that Russia not only intends to retain control of the pro-Russian breakaway region of South Ossetia but will attempt to further undermine Georgian sovereignty.

Unless there is a concerted military strategy by NATO to pressure Russia to withdraw, the message that will be sent to Moscow is that it can continue to threaten its neighbors with impunity. The greatest consequence that Russia faces so far is to perhaps be kicked out of the Group of Eight, denied entry into the World Trade Organization and not be permitted to join key strategy sessions with NATO members. This is a small price to pay.

America has made among the harshest condemnations of the Russian war. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice even pressed forward to sign a deal with Poland to establish a missile-defense base - despite fervent Russian opposition, and even a warning that Poland might face a nuclear strike. Yet other NATO members have been tepid in their response. Most Western European nations have not even clearly identified Russia as the aggressor in the conflict. Even the UK, which has stood most ardently by America in its hawkish policies in the war on terror, is backing away from a stern response to Russia. “I am not one that believes that isolating Russia is the right answer to its misdemeanors,” said Foreign Minister David Miliband.

Without a robust NATO consensus on how to tackle this crisis, Russian power will win the day. And the West’s prestige will suffer a devastating blow.