Why shouldn't the US support Georgia's membership into NATO?

Answer 1

Georgia doesn't represent the ideals of NATO nor does it have the necessary political stability

NATO is a defensive military alliance committed to the "the peaceful resolution of disputes, in which no country would be able to intimidate or coerce any other through the threat or use of force." It is unreasonable to say that the 2008 South Ossetia War is completely the fault of Russia.

Almost all accounts or the war point to Georgia firing the first shot by launching a barrage of rockets and artillery into the breakaway town of Tskhinvali. At the time of the invasion, Moscow was funding much of the regions annual budget and Russian "peacekeepers" were scattered throughout the region. Almost all citizens of Tskhinvali held Russian passports and the local currency was the rubble.

Georgia's Bombardment of Tskhinvali

Much of the initial bombardment destroyed large areas of the city killing civilians along with Russian peacekeepers. Former British military officer Ryan Grist, who was assigned as an unarmed monitor to the region, has given evidence against the Georgian claim that the country was acting in self defense. "It was clear to me that the [Georgian] attack was completely indiscriminate and disproportionate to any, if indeed there had been any, provocation... The attack was clearly, in my mind, an indiscriminate attack on the town, as a town." The honesty of Georgia's leadership should be called into question as Washington has taken the knee-jerk Cold War reaction of supporting Georgia's claims.

Of course Russia can't just be considered a victim of war. Moscow provoked Georgia by recognizing the independence of South Ossetia in the weeks leading up to the war. Russia certainly exploited Georgia's attack by responding with overwhelming force and opening up a second front in Kodori Valley.

"Grade Inflation"

Georgia has used major military force against its own citizens three times in the last fifteen years and nearly a fifth of its territory is under secessionist rule. In considering Georgia to enter the alliance, "NATO has fallen victim to grade inflation," says Charles King of the Washington Post. For NATO, an attack on one of us is an attack on all us. And it's likely Georgia will flex its NATO muscles in the region once it's admitted into the alliance.

In April of 2008, the Senate signed a bill supporting Georgia's admittance into NATO with Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain as cosponsors. As of now, NATO is still promising Georgia's membership. Georgia has much to gain from joining in the way of military cooperation and technology as well as soft power. The bigger question is what NATO has to gain from Georgia.