It's a complex situation, not easily reduced or explained, but one thing is clear -- this isn't a bunch of kids lobbing rocks at each other. This is a real war, one that threatens to unravel a region that doesn't need any more instability.Here in the U.S., we've heard all about how this conflict is raising Cold War anxiety that Americans haven't felt in a generation -- but that sort of reaction, it seems to me, ignores how much has changed since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
This is a very different world. Let's act like it.
Criticizing Russia for invading a sovereign nation, however, is nothing more than self-righteous bunk. The U.S. no longer holds the moral high ground. I can't remember the last time we did.
So what's left? Well, we could have a high-minded discussion of the geopolitical ramifications of Georgia being admitted to NATO or Russia being dismissed from the G8. Should the U.S. get more involved, or is this an EU problem? Maybe the shutdown of three Georgia pipelines will drive oil prices back up, maybe it won't. Did Russia err by invading, did Georgia underestimate its neighbor, or did both miscalculate? Will Ukraine be next?
It's all very fascinating, considering our "safe" distance. We have no say, of course, in what Russia and Georgia do. Truth is, even as U.S. citizens we have virtually no control over our own government's response to the conflict. That's right -- in the grand global scheme, our personal opinions don't matter and our individual actions have no effect.
I'm not suggesting that we should be either silent or paralyzed -- it's always wise to be aware of what's happening in our ever-shrinking world, and often we can join with others to effect change. Still, I believe it's much wiser to bring those heady global issues back home.
Think about it: If the Russia-Georgia conflict is serious (and it is) and if the instability spreads (and it could), we will feel the effects. In fact, this regional upset, combined with other events and actors, may be the shadow of a global political and economic shift -- and should that shift expose (as I believe it could) the U.S. as overextended and underpowered, our life stateside will change.
With an eye on world events, then, we say what we must and do what we can. We speak and act where we can have an effect. We nurture and prepare our families. We put our energy into our communities.
Most of us will never see a geopolitical negotiating table. Our work -- the truly important work -- begins at the kitchen table.
