The Strategic Competition between Russia and the United States in Georgia

• Main Author: 王嘉瑜
• Other Authors: 林永芳
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/43143598792505289067

碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 俄羅斯研究所 === 98 === The collapse of Soviet Union in the last century fundamentally changed the geopolitics of Georgia. Its geopolitical values in the Eurasian continent have been improved after the Soviet Union era. In the past, Georgia was a key country that Soviet Union utilized to maintain its country interest and defense security. It served as an entrance to the Black Sea for Soviet Union, as the import and export trading between Caucasus and Middle East relied on it. Meanwhile, it was also the critical sector between the Soviet Union and NATO. However, Russia and Georgia have stopped cooperation since their respective independence; both parties had ceased partnership due to issues of border demarcation, ethnic conflicts, military bases, etc. On the other hand, the United States also competed for its energy interest in the Caspian Sea region, and the passage and strategic values of Georgia has drawn attention of the United States. Georgia, therefore, has become a stage of geostrategic competition for the two superpowers that are the United States and Russia. This study utilizes the geopolitics and realism theory of the international relations as an approach to observe the strategic competition of the United States and Russia in the Georgia. First, I reviewed the geopolitics and realism theory of the international relations and discuss the geopolitical values and elements of Georgia, as well as its strategic meanings for the United States and Russia. In the thesis, the geopolitical activities of the United States and Russia are discussed respectively. The bilateral relations between Russia and Georgia, as well as the United States and Georgia are deeply analyzed in terms of geo-economic benefits, geopolitical threats and geopolitical practices, including the cooperative relations for Georgia with Russia and the United States; the competition for energy interest in the Caspian Sea region between the United States and Russia; the positions of the United States and Russia on joining NATO for Georgia; the positions of the United States and Russia on the Rose Revolution; and the conflict relations between Russia and the United States on the 2008 Russia-Georgia Conflict (South Ossetia War). Finally, the findings of this study divide the strategic competition of the United States and Russia in Georgia into three periods: The first period is that Russia had traditional power and the United States meddled in the Caspian Sea region for energy (1991~1996); the second period is that the United States operated actively while Russia operated passively (1997~2003); and the third period is during which the United States took the initiative while Russia waited for the opportune moment to counterattack (2004~2009). The geopolitical influences of the United States and Russia on Georgia have been constantly changed through these three periods. Russia was unable to strategically stop the military, political, economic plans of the United States in Georgia and had gradually lost its geopolitical influence on it. However, the conflicts between Russia and Georgia in 2008 had a dramatic development. The influences on Georgia of the United States and Russia have been changed again. While the United States have gained Tbilisi’s support to continue cooperation with Georgia to maintain the geo-economic benefits in Georgia, and while Russia has a bad relationship with Tbilisi, Russia has gained support from the two breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia controls these two regions by cooperating with them to maintain the geopolitical interest in Georgia and the geopolitical space in South Caucasus. Due to its geopolitical significance, it is expected that Georgia will continue to serve as a critical stage of the geostrategic competition between the United States and Russia.