Could Georgia have avoided the Russian aggression?

The Kviris Palitra newspaper asked its readers this question. Out of 407 respondents, 43% said yes, 35.8% no and 21.2% had no definite answer.

This poll shows that the population’s concern about this conflict is very high and that almost half the respondents have their doubts about whether the ruling administration took proper political steps.

Some people have already directly stated that the Georgian Government fell into a trap prepared by Moscow. However many still think that Russian aggression was inevitable, if not in Tskhinvali then in Kodori. The only way to have avoided Russian aggression, according to this scenario, would have been for Georgia to give up its NATO aspirations and pro-Western orientation.

These questions and many more will certainly become the major topic of discussions between the ruling forces and opposition parties. Some of these parties are very radical and some more moderate, but the questions exist, they will be asked and they should be answered.