Page 67 - Cormorant Issue 20 2017

“The fact that Georgia has again submitted a draft resolution on refugees for consideration of the UN General Assembly and has initiated the adoption of politicized documents at the UN Human Rights Council and the Council of Europe’s Committee
of Ministers is not helping the actual resolution of humanitarian problems. [This demonstrates that] These actions serve the sole purpose of Georgian propaganda, which uses every occasion to declare the alleged jurisdiction of Tbilisi over Abkhazia and South Ossetia.”
So, what remains? Georgia’s aspirations, Russia’s destabilising resilience, NATO and EU Membership Action Plans on ice or at least in the negotiated slow-lane ... all of which may just satisfy the here and now. However, time will move on and with it Georgian tolerance, for after all, as their foreign minister Mikheil Janelidze puts it, “Our accession to NATO is our security. It is the sovereign choice of Georgia, to be part of the free world with which we share common values. Its aim is not [to] irritate someone but to create stability and security not only in Georgia but in the region as a whole.”
The result, a uni ed Georgia as a new member of NATO on the border of Russia ...
The views expressed in this article are those of the author.
Ends Regional Security Exercise (RSE) to Washington and New York
Lt Col Tom Foss-Smith
THE ACSC 20 ENDS Module visited Washington and New York for RSE 2. The purpose of the trip was to understand US foreign and defence
policy, US government structure and develop a deeper and clearer understanding of the UN.
Delivered to Washington by the RAF, the week kicked off with some cultural immersion to provide background colour. A visit to George Washington’s house at Mount Vernon was followed by a day exploring the National Mall, the plethora of museums around central Washington and the Arlington
National Cemetery. Students also took the time to try out some of Washington’s rooftop hostelries, with views over the White House and other prominent landmarks.
On Monday morning, the course moved to the British Embassy for a series of introductory talks by the First Secretary (Political) and the Defence Attaché. These set the scene for the week and gave a fascinating insight into the US-UK relationship, given the political upheaval that has taken place on both sides of the Atlantic over the past eighteen months. We moved on from the Embassy to Congress where a tour of the building was followed by a visit to the Congress Research Service. The annual Donovan Cup football match between the Defence Academy and the
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