Secretary Clinton

I have many areas of agreement with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Abkhazia is not one of them. Recently, she stated that the U.S. would never recognize Abkhazia. Never is a pretty long time.

Part of the rationale seems to be that Abkhazia will be pulled into Russia's orbit. After spending quite a bit of time in Abkhazia, I don't see Russia making decisions for Abkhazia. They have their own elections and do not bow to any master, Russian or otherwise.

On the other hand, Abkhazia has accepted Russian military aid and money for infrastructure because of the threat from Georgia. Georgia protests wildly at any opportunity about Abkhazia. United Colors of Benetton pulled out because Georgia threatened to close all their stores in Georgia because they opened one in Abkhazia. The Republic of Abkhazia does not have working ATM machines, although there are banks, because Georgia protested to the companies that process the electronic services. Abkhazia does not have a movie theatre, despite a population of around 200,000. Predictably the reason is that Abkhazia does not have official recognition, so it is not possible to get licensed to show films here. Although the airport in Sukhum has one of the best runways of anyplace in the former Soviet Union, there are no commercial flights to Abkhazia because it is not widely recognized. This is because Georgia has undue and unfair influence on the United States. Georgia receives a large share of its budget from the U.S., without this, it may resemble a failed state very quickly. In return, Georgia lavishes money in Washington to lobby our elected officials.

There is no Abkhazian lobby or presence to counter the propaganda that Georgia is a victim of Russian aggression. No one writes about this in the press. There is no mention of the poverty in Abkhazia, despite the fact that the country is spectacularly beautiful and has tremendous potential as a tourist destination.

Because of the situation, Abkhazia must rely on Russian military support to defend itself from Georgian aggression (partly funded with American tax dollars). Abkhazia must also use a Russian telephone code so its citizens can communicate. Hopefully, flights will start to Sukhum from Russia next year. But that will only be from Russia because of the lack of international recognition. So far the only money for redevelopment of the country has come from Russia. So while Abkhazia makes its own decisions, Russia is the only nation that provides protection, a border crossing and economic aid. It seems that the U.S. policy only pushes Abkhazia closer to Russia.

I am sure that the Russian Federation does not seek to dominate Abkhazia. The proof is their recognition of Abkhazia as an independent nation. Russia has also been active in lobbying other nations for Abkhazia's and South Ossetia;s recognition. Russia would much prefer that Abkhazia be recognized for what it is: free and independent.

With widespread recognition, Abkhazia would more quickly and efficiently develop. This would be in almost everyone's interest, including the United States. Georgia will certainly disagree, but they have no presence in the country and likely never will.

Most Abkhazians view America in a positive light despite the support for Georgia. They think this is due to political intrigue and money rather then the blame of the American people.