Paul Goble, Special Adviser and Representative of former US Secretary of State James Baker, who also served as the analyst of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the State Department, spoke to `Europe Time` in an exclusive interview about the importance of US investment in Georgia and major infrastructure projects. In this context, he concentrates on the Anaklia project's implementation.
Paul Goble: „Disrupting this project was clearly part of Moscow’s agenda. I don’t think it was its highest priority...„The Rule of law is critical for continued Western investment. Westerners don't want to go anywhere with their money unless they are certain that the courts will protect them and allow them to get their money out. So yes, the judicial system is critical“.
The subject of a `Europe Time` interview with the former US Assistant Secretary of State for Post-Soviet and Baltic Affairs was also continuing processes in the region and already in Central Asia, reinforcing the idea that security in the Black Sea is critical.
Paul Goble: The West is in a difficult position given that the president of Kazakhstan invited Russian intervention. I hope it has made clear to all the parties what its leaders have said in public that we do not believe such intervention is justified or legal, given that it is being used to suppress a popular uprising.
„The American presence in Afghanistan had become unsupportable inside the US because the public had been demanding a withdrawal for a long time and the government had failed to provide a rationale for staying. I don’t think that the US withdrawal ensured an increase in Russian influence, but it provided Moscow with a greater opportunity to get involved. I am not sure that Moscow’s influence will increase as a result of its intervention. "It may intimidate some, but it will infuriate others," the analyst said, as for the extent to which the US withdrawal from Afghanistan has contributed to Russia's growing supremacy in Central Asia.
The former top State Department official also highlights China's role in these procedures in an exclusive conversation with `Europe Time`.
Paul Goble: China backs Russia’s intervention because it opposes giving in to popular pressure and because it knows that Russia will “own” the results and that these results may not strengthen Russia in the region but weaken it and give Beijing a greater chance.
Last summer, US Acting Assistant Secretary Philip Reeker spoke exclusively to Europe Time on the necessity of creating an appealing environment for investors, emphasizing the importance of large infrastructure projects such as Anaklia. He also discussed the possibility of bilateral trade connections between Georgia and the United States. See this page for more information
