William R. Buckley

As an American, it is difficult for me to know and understand all the issues and ramifications of Russian-Georgian conflicts.  It does seem that some Georgian actions derive from resentments built on the past actions of Russians, and particularly the Soviet government.  Yet, it also seems reasonable that Russians have a valid complaint regarding the destruction of WWII memorials (I think it is in Russia called the Great Patriotic War, but maybe I am mistaken).  In any case, furtherance of conflict between the Russian and Georgian peoples is not the means to solve problems.  Both peoples need to come to terms with the past, learn to get along, and work together.  Set aside your differences and antagonisms.  We in the United States have been struggling with this kind of issue for all of my life, and have only recently been able to see strong and demonstrable progess in race relations.  Sure, there are still problems between black and white but, we are well on the way to learning to get along, so much so that we now have a president who is of African descent.  Can the Russian and Georgian people not learn from our example, however difficult it was for the American people to produce?

William R. Buckley