Peace in Georgia

The battles in Georgia have ended. What will it take to create a lasting secure peace?

As in the Balkans, the feuds in Georgia are long-standing between differing groups of people over many generations. Since the break-up of the Soviet Union, the feuds have frequently risen to small wars supplied and encouraged by the larger antagonists, especially from the USA.

After large scale intervention by NATO, Serbian Bosnia was split in two on religious lines resulting in de facto "ethnic cleansing" so abhorrent to the NATO partners on entering the fray. By the time a few killings had occurred based solely on ethnicity, there was little hope of any other settlement.

Obviously, pluralism is no more valued in Georgia then in Serbian Bosnia. There is no acceptable outcome other then division along ethnic lines. At least to the extent that such division occurs in Canada with Quebec.

If anyone has the knowledge and understanding to build a lasting peace in Georgia, it is those individuals who have managed to keep Quebec in Canada.

I suggest we send a team to Georgia as part of the UN mission to write a report on how Georgia might survive as an ethnically differentiated state without bloodshed and dominance.

I would recommend Jean Chretien lead the team with a selection of politicians and civil servants of his choice with a mission to create a stable, peaceful, plural Georgian state.