ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.
MELISSA BLOCK, host:
And I'm Melissa Block. Today, President Bush warned about what he calls a dramatic and brutal escalation of the Russian military action in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. European mediators are trying to persuade Russia to agree to a cease-fire, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been working the phones.
So far, this diplomatic flurry has not slowed Russia. What it has done is highlight how little leverage the Bush administration has. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.
MICHELE KELEMEN: Georgia's pro-Western president, Mikhail Saakashvili, says he needs help and more than just moral support. His troops tried to retake a separatist region known as South Ossetia last week, but Russia moved in to push the Georgians back, and now he Saakashvili fears Russia will move against him.
President Bush seems to agree, saying he's seen evidence that Russian forces may soon begin bombing the airport in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi. He said that would be a dramatic escalation to the conflict.
President GEORGE W. BUSH: Russia has invaded a sovereign neighboring state and threatens a democratic government elected by its people. Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st century.
KELEMEN: But saying that's unacceptable is one thing; stopping Russia is another. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been the phones talking to her counterparts in the group of seven leading industrialized nations. The French and Finnish foreign ministers are in Moscow trying to persuade Russia to agree to a cease-fire that Georgia already accepted.
President Bush said Russia's relations with the West will depend on Russia's next moves.
Pres. BUSH: Russia's actions this week have raised serious questions about its intentions in Georgia and the region. These actions have substantially damaged Russia's standing in the world, and these actions jeopardize Russia's relations with the United States and Europe.
KELEMEN: He was speaking in the Rose Garden this afternoon after returning from the Olympics in Beijing, where he saw Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and said he was clear with him then. But while the U.S. rhetoric has been getting tougher in recent days, the situation on the ground hasn't improved. And Charles Kupchan of the Council on Foreign Relations says he's not sure yet whether this conflict is a game-changer in relations with the West, as President Bush suggested today.
Mr. CHARLES KUPCHAN (Council on Foreign Relations): I think it's safe to say that from here on out, the United States and its allies are going to look at Russia more warily, but I think whether this is a game-changer or not will depend a lot on what happens in the next few days and weeks and that if, in fact, Russia continues to move in and dismember Georgia, then I think there's no question that it will be a game-changer.
KELEMEN: For Georgia, this conflict already has been a huge setback. Charles King, author of the book "The Ghost of Freedom: A History of the Caucasus," says Georgia shares some of the blame here.
Mr. CHARLES KING (Author, "The Ghost of Freedom: A History of the Caucasus"): The Georgians significantly overplayed their hand here and have pushed things down a path that could have been, could have been avoided.
KELEMEN: U.S. officials had been urging Georgia not to take the bait from Russia, which was supporting the separatists not only in South Ossetia but also in another breakaway region, Abkhazia. This is a volatile region but one that's important for the U.S. strategically, in part because of an oil pipeline that runs through Georgia, taking Caspian Sea resources to Western Europe and bypassing Russia.
Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
Mr. CHARLES KING (Author): The Georgians significantly overplayed their hand here and have pushed things down a path that could have been, could have been avoided.
KELEMEN: U.S. officials had been urging Georgia not to take the bait from Russia, which was supporting the separatists not only in South Ossetia but also in another breakaway region, Abkhazia. This is a volatile region but one that's important for the U.S. strategically, in part because an oil pipeline runs through Georgia, taking Caspian Sea resources to Western Europe and bypassing Russia.
Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.
