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Having visited Tskhinvali several times in the past decade as a scholar and practitioner of conflict resolution, I sorrowfully view the outbreak of war between Georgia and Russia as the classic and all-too-familiar escalation of conflict. While my Georgian, South Ossetian and Russian friends suffer the terrors of war, I hope that we who are far removed from the fighting and its humanitarian consequences can recognize this catastrophe as a wake-up call. Nobody wins when we follow the traditional trajectory of conflict escalation, trying to impose a political settlement by force. The old way of seeking power over others simply does not work in today's interdependent world.
We need to realize that security in Georgia, South Ossetia, Russia and even the United States relies on people building power with, not over, one another. Many have called for a "zone of peace" in the Caucasus. Many have suggested other creative sovereignty arrangements, citing the European Union, Greenland, Scandinavia's Aland Islands and the South Tyrol. It's time we turn to building long-term stability through security for all rather than following the current trajectory of a long series of battles with no ultimate winner.
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