NYTS Offers a Gorbachev Piece About the Russia-Georgia Conflict

By: E&P Staff The New York Times Syndicate (NYTS) is distributing a 900-word essay by former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev on U.S. involvement in the Russia-Georgia conflict.

Gorbachev's "A Crisis Russia Did Not Want" piece includes these comments:

-- "Russia was dragged into the fray by the recklessness of the Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili. He would not have dared to attack without outside support."

-- "What is clear is that the Western assistance in training Georgian troops and massive shipments of arms had been pushing the region toward war rather than peace."

-- "I suggest one thing that should definitely be reconsidered: the habit of talking to Russia in a condescending way, without regard for its positions and interests."

NYTS distributes a monthly column by Gorbachev, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.