Senate Resolution on South Ossetia and Abkhazia

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution calling Abkhazia and South Ossetia "regions of Georgia occupied by Russia."  This is false.  I live in Abkhazia part-time and the Russian Army does not occupy it.  There were U.N. mandated Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia after the war of 1992-93.  Only after Georgia attacked South Ossetia in 2008 and made its aggressive military attentions clear did Russia build a base in Abkhazia.  But the base is for defensive purposes only and serves to protect Abkhazia from Georgian aggession. That this has been successful is evidenced by the huge increase in tourism that Abkhazia experienced in 2009. In the last 5 years in Abkhazia, I have seen Russian troops less than 5 times.  And the government of Abkhazia clearly makes its own decisions.   I know this because I have been working them to break investors and investment to the country.  Later this month, there will be an election to replace President Bagapsh, who died May 26.  It will be free and fair as all the elections have been in Abkhazia.

The resolution also calls for "peaceful resolution of the conflicts".   This statement appears very hypocritical. There is no conflict at the present time.  The only source of conflict in the post-Soviet environment has been the Republic of Georiga, which has repeatedly threatened and attacked both nations without provocation, most famously in 2008.  That attack would likely not have been possible without American aid, which allowed the Republic of Georgia to increase its military spending at the fastest rate in the world in 2007-08.  

Russia is said to occupy Abkhazia, but this is false.  I live in Abkhazia for part of each month and the Russian Army does not occupy it.  There were U.N. mandated Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia after the war of 1992-93.  Only after Georgia attacked South Ossetia in 2008 and made its aggressive military attentions clear did Russia build a base in Abkhazia.  But the base is for defensive purposes only and serves to protect Abkhazia from Georgian aggession.  That this has been successful is evidenced by the huge increase in tourism that Abkhazia experienced in 2009.  In the last 5 years in Abkhazia, I have seen Russian troops less than 5 times. And the government of Abkhazia clearly makes its own decisions.   

Does the U.S. Army occupy South Korea?  Most people would say no.  But if Russia is "occupying" Abkhazia, then the U.S must be regarded as an occupational power, too.  The truth is that Russia serves an important function of guaranteeing the peace.  A responsible person should ask the question: What would happen if Russia left and Georgia was rearmed by the American government, as some Senators propose?  

The U.S. Senate found time, despite the debt limit crisis, to pass this resolution.  It should be noted that not one of the Senators has ever been to Abkhazia and, as the only American businessman who spends significant time in Abkhazia, I was not called to testify on the issue.