Discussion Group on Georgia Crisis - 9/2/2008 (Tue)

In the past few weeks, we all have been watching disturbing news reports on a crisis taking place many thousands of miles away, in the Republic of Georgia.   We have watched from afar as troops exchanged fire, as Russian tanks rolled into both the province of Ossetia and into other cities across Georgia, as many tens of thousands of refugees have fled-- both north into Russia and south into the Georgian capital of Tbilisi – as their homes are destroyed and their families scattered.

What has prompted this crisis?  Why is this fighting, in an area of the world many Americans know little about, potentially important to us?  Where is South Ossetia, and why are troops in a neighboring region of Abkhazia also involved?  What is Russia’s role? Why are analysts pointing to this tragic conflict as possibly “the beginning of a new Cold War”?

Town resident Andrea Harris, who lived in Tbilisi from late 2003 to late 2007, will be in the Town Hall on the evening of September 2 to provide answers and to help lead an informal discussion group on the roots of the crisis, where things stand today, and how concerned citizens in the US can take action to support building of a lasting peace in this troubled region.