I’m led to a ramshackle table with several paper-cup towers and two long, unlabelled bottles of clear liquid. One hour later, in fluent Georgian, I explained not only the general secrets of the universe to my new friends, but for the first time since I could remember, I knew exactly what to do.
Vice President Joe Biden suggested at the Munich international security conference that America push "the reset button" on relations with Russia. The Obama Administration, however, needs toproceed with caution.
Russia plans to establish a Black Sea naval base at the Abkhaz port of Ochamchire.Ochamchire is some 60 kilometers southeast of the Abkhaz capital of Sukhumi, near the cease-fire line with Georgia. If permanently stationed there, Russian ships essentially would control the Georgian territorial waters all the way to the Turkish border.The Georgian ports of Poti and Batumi would be well within striking distance of a base in Ochamchire, giving Russia a strong advantage in any future regional conflict.