The Europeans, however weakly, are pressuring the Russians to pull back:
In a week, a delegation will travel to Moscow to insist, they said, that Russia withdraw all its troops to their positions before the fighting broke out between Georgia and Russia on Aug. 7.
The European leaders said that if Russia did not comply, a second round of talks with Moscow on a strategic partnership agreement with the European Union, scheduled for mid-September, would be postponed.
That was as close to a penalty as the European leaders agreed on, pressed to do even that much by Poland, Sweden and the Baltic states, and it was meant to show Russia that it was on probation.
Think of it as "good cop, bad cop." Europe knows their role.
And as the Russians pull back, our presence in a non-military fashion increases:
A U.S. Navy ship loaded with humanitarian aid steamed through the Dardanelles on its way to Georgia on Wednesday, as the Bush administration prepared to roll out a $1 billion economic aid package for the ex-Soviet republic.
Our ships carry non-military supplies but establish the precedent of US forces standing beside the Georgians. FAce it, one plane would carry more than each of these ships has brought. Their importance is the means of delivery. And non-military aid to rebuild will be another American step into Georgia.
Eventually, as the Russians are eased out and we are eased in, we can pursue steps to rebuild the Georgian military:
Georgia is already drawing up lists of options, including restoring the military to its prewar strength or making it a much larger force with more modern equipment, like air-defense systems, modern antiarmor rockets and night-vision devices.
Officials at the Pentagon, State Department and White House confirmed that the Bush administration was examining what would be required to rebuild Georgia's military, but stressed that no decisions had been made. The choices each pose difficult foreign policy questions.
But we aren't at that stage yet. Let's focus on getting the Russians out of Georgia completely. Each step brings another nation into the safety of the West.
