This is some serious business between Russia and Georgia

Russia has taken advantage of an opportunity to open a can of whup-ass on its former colony of Georgia, a small democracy of some 4 ½ million people on its southern border. Georgia, America’s most sincere ally in the region may have been expecting we could guarantee its freedom, but it appears to be totally up to the Russians to decide how far they will go with their invasion. Thus far, Russian tanks have essentially cut the country in two and their demands for concessions are escalating.

Early in the conflict they seemed intent on destroying a major oil pipeline and facilities at the Black Sea port of Poti. Now, with the French trying to negotiate a cease-fire, they may settle for the resignation of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and installation of a government more to their liking. With de facto control of the country it no longer needs to destroy the oil transportation facilities that currently compete with its own energy facilities.

Russia appears to be consolidating control of its own and nearby energy resources. In 2006, Russia “bought” controlling interest in the Shell Oil Sakhalin-2 project and has recently done everything but put a severed horse-head in the bed of the CEO of BP Russia. Flush with cash from high-priced oil, Russia apparently believes it no longer needs foreign investment.

It should have been expelled from G-8 for transgressions like those, but there is little the rest of the world can do but threaten sanctions and try to shame the country, even when it violates international law and invades a sovereign nation. Russia has a gun to the head of Western Europe in the form of the natural gas and oil it supplies them. America has no feasible military options and will probably accept a neutered former ally rather than risk outright confrontation with Russia.

Russia has long experience playing the salami game. That’s where they slice a piece off our salami* – just a small piece, not enough to fight over. Then they slice off another and another, but never enough to fight over. Eventually, all that’s left is the string, and that’s not worth fighting over either.

In this case, they have embarrassed the US, eliminated an annoying neighbor, intimidated other neighbors, such as the Ukraine and consolidated their hold over Western Europe. If they get away with this, they will be encouraged to try something similar with the other former Soviet republics. And they will get away with it. It is a pipe dream to think that NATO or the UN will gather the collective resolve to do anything, as this NY Times column will attest:

And Bush administration officials acknowledged that the outside world, and the United States in particular, had little leverage over Russian actions.

“There is no possibility of drawing NATO or the international community into this,” said a senior State Department official in a conference call with reporters.

If the Russians are to pay a price for their reprehensible actions, our diplomacy will have to come in the form of strengthening our allies that do have the stomach for it, such as Poland and the Czech Republic, where we have proposed anti-missile defense facilities. The Russians hate the idea, so now is the time to proceed at full speed. The Ukraine and Georgia had been under consideration for NATO membership. It may be too late for Georgia, but if the Ukraine is still interested, their application may be worth a second look.

The president should also immediately call Congress back into session to pass energy legislation that will counter the threat of supply disruptions or constrictions. With the probable exception of Iraq, everywhere we look in the world, more and more energy supplies are being tied up by hostile regimes. From the Chinese/Cuban drilling rigs in the gulf to the Russian claims in the Arctic Ocean seabed, our enemies know how necessary oil is.

We need to be drilling now; the Russian action has proven again how fragile our access to foreign supplies is. This is one concrete action we can take to build and safeguard our economy and to cut the amount of our own money that goes to those who would destroy us.

* I mean an actual salami – not what you’re thinking.