Why Georgia Matters



By Roger Conrad
Published August 12th, 2008

Expedition officials compared the act to Neil Armstrong’s planting of the American flag on the moon, and the US Geological Survey determined, to a degree that should satisfy United Nations Convention on the Land of the Sea requirements (should the US eventually ratify it), that there’s not much ground for resource disputes in the area.

But Russia’s staking a tricolor claim to the North Pole was widely viewed as an act of aggression, “openly choreographed publicity stunt” or not.

Last week, symbolism became tanks and airstrikes as Russia celebrated the first anniversary of its deepwater claim by getting physical with the Republic of Georgia after several years of shadowboxing.

Accounts of Russia’s Arctic adventure framed it in terms of two larger themes: Russia’s restored sense of confidence and the international competition for oil and natural gas.