The U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, presented the U.S. administration’s view of the ongoing tensions between Russia and Georgia on her one-day visit to Tbilisi on July 5, as the final stop of her trip to Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. Clinton underlined the importance of democratic reform and non-resurgence of armed conflict in Georgia’s breakaway regions.

During her six-hour visit, Clinton met with President Michael Saakashvili, as well as some of the opposition party leaders and representatives of civil society.

Her first meeting was held in the Town Hall at the National Library with Georgian female leaders representing sectors such as media, advocacy, politics, law, and government agencies. The U.S. administration views civil society as crucial to building democracy, and Georgia as a potential model for democracy, Clinton said at the meeting.

During a Q and A session at the Town Hall meeting, the leader of the oppositional Republican Party, Tina Khidasheli, asked the secretary of state whether Washington had “a real democracy agenda” regarding Georgia. “The United States always has a democratic agenda”, Clinton replied. By emphasizing issues such as the criminal code, an independent judiciary, and free media, the U.S. seeks to support Georgian democracy, she said. Clinton admitted, however, that there are shortcomings that can only be dealt with through continual reforms.

The second significant point Clinton made during the visit referred to the U.S. stance on conflict resolution in light of the conflict between Georgia and Russia. At a news conference with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, she criticized the Russian aspirations to maintain a sphere of influence in the Caucasus. Using the terms “invasion” and “occupation”, Clinton spelled out U.S. concerns over Moscow's entrenched military bases in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and called on Russia to withdraw its troops to the lines held before August 2008, along the lines of the August 12 six-point ceasefire agreement.

Complying fully with Tbilisi’s position, Clinton said that the new Russian-sponsored agreement on non-use of force, which is the major headache of the Geneva Talks, does not make sense as the August six-point agreement has already enclosed this element and that no agreement which excludes Russian participation will settle the security dilemma in the region.

Clinton recommitted “steadfast” U.S. support for Georgia's territorial integrity, though she underlined that Georgia must avoid actions that “would give any excuse to the Russians to take any further aggressive movements.”

In sum, Clinton reassured the Saakashvili government that Georgia will not be sacrificed as a result of the U.S.-Russia rapprochement. The question that follows logically is whether this means that Washington's support will eventually enable Georgia to achieve the withdrawal of Russian troops from Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Tbilisi desperately need a comprehensive U.S. engagement on these issues, while the degree of such engagement in turn depends on issues such as the treaty on reducing nuclear arsenals, U.S. policy on Iran and Afghanistan, and the U.S. missile shield in Poland, questions crucial to the U.S. "reset” policy with Russia, as well as Russia’s stance.

At present, no mechanisms exist that could urge the Kremlin to comply with the six-point agreement, provided its enormous efforts to legalize the presence of Russian troops in the conflict zones.

“While some think that it [South Ossetia] is occupied, others think it is liberated”, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said when commenting Clinton's reiteration of the term “occupation” during her visit.

Such a tough stance suggests that even if Georgia will remain important to U.S. policy, desirable results will be difficult to achieve in the medium term.

As Giga Bokeria, Georgian deputy minister of foreign affairs put it: “we should not have any illusion that it will bring an immediate result ... But in the process which should lead us step by step to this result, the engagement of the United States is very important”.

In fact, this is the point that Clinton sought to deliver to Georgian officials and representatives of social groups. She signaled that the resolution of the most painful problems to a large extent depends on Georgia itself, and on its capability to implement democratic reforms. The Georgian long-term strategy on territorial re-integration should therefore be pursued through democratic reforms and economic development. By establishing stronger democratic institutions, Georgia will maintain “steadfast” U.S. support which is important for both countries. For the U.S., Georgia's success in building democracy is a chance to beat Russia ideologically in the region. For Georgia, it will provide an alternative it can offer to Abkhaz and Ossetian peoples.

The U.S. administration, therefore, focuses on the development of civil society, not on immediate resolution of the conflict. To meet this goal, Washington’s efforts will be aimed at ensuring the non-resurgence of conflict from either the Russian or Georgian side, creating an environment for advancing Georgian civil society.