VP Biden Visits Georgia and Ukraine

A visit from Joe Biden means many different things to many different people. Today, the vice president is traveling to Ukraine to reassure Russia's embattled neighbors that the new administration will not abandon them as they improve ties with the Kremlin. Biden will let Ukraine know that the U.S. does support their bid to join NATO, although perhaps not as ardently as former President Bush. In his speech at the US Chamber of Commerce in Kiev, he's also planning to encourage energy reform for aging infrastructure and let leaders know Washington is very concerned about their economy (which World Bank says will shrink 15% this year) and the political paralysis as a result of tension between President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. He'll meet with both leaders, as well as several members of the Opposition Party.

According to Yushchenko's deputy chief of staff, Andriy Goncharuk, Ukrainian leaders hope that the United States will guarantee security, pledge defense cooperation and support Ukraine's bid to enter NATO. For political leaders, a visit from any kind of high-profile visitor is a great chance to renew enthusiasm for their causes (in this case joining NATO).

Reuters reported that: “The streets of Kiev were shut down for security reasons for Biden's visit. But ordinary Ukrainians were largely indifferent to the vice-president's arrival and newspapers had little coverage ahead of his arrival.” Polling shows the average citizen in Ukraine isn't concerned about Russia, but hopes VP Biden will send a message to their leaders to "get their act together."

Wednesday night through Friday, Biden will then visit Georgia to deliver a speech at the Georgia Parliament in Tbilisi and meet with Mikheil Saakashvili, as well as Opposition Party representatives. Biden plans to show support for democracy, without playing favorites, while building on strategic alliances and friendships “without annoying Russia.” Last year, when the Georgian-Russian crisis began, Saakashvili petitioned Biden to visit Georgia as a show of support for their sovereignty -- a fortuitiously-timed offer, which Obama's newly announced running-mate was quick to take. To Saakashvili, it showed Biden was brave and America was a good ally. To Biden, it was a great opportunity to tout his foreign policy credentials during a tumultuous election season. 

As it turns out, the people of Georgia very much like Joe Biden and the West. However, Georgia's Way Party and the Conservative Party have planned protests for Wednesday night in Freedom Square under the slogan "It's time for change in Georgia." Party spokespeople say that the demonstrations are not meant to be anti-Western or anti-democracy in any way, but rather, they're using Biden's visit as a last-ditch effort to get their voices heard. They have been protesting Saakashvili's leadership and demanding his resignation -- accusing him of authoritarianism, monopolizing state media and police repression.

In anticipation of Biden's visit, the Georgian President has addressed parliament, unveiling plans to "share more power" and "make elections more democratic." Saakashvili's sees Biden's visit as a "morale-boost" for his own popularity and also hopes that Biden's visit will "send a message to Russia" about their sovereignty. When Obama visited Moscow this month, he admitted "I don't anticipate a meeting of the minds any time soon" -- with regards to Georgia -- and it's hoped that Biden will echo this same supportive sentiment.

When Russia heard of Biden's visit to Georgia, they sent inspectors there July 13th and made it clear they want a long-term military presence there. The following day, the U.S.S. Stout, a guided-missile destroyer, anchored in Batumi as a tit-for-tat with the powerful nation. In fact, just last Thursday, President Obama received a letter from former Cold War era leaders in the Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, which warned that "Russia is back as a revisionist power pursuing a 19th-century agenda with 21st-century tactics and methods." They expressed concern that the U.S. was not taking a tough enough stance against Russia. It'll be interesting to see, then, which tone Joe Biden's visit sets in Georgia. Will he play it safe and stick to talking points about "democracy" in general? Or will he adamantly back Georgia's sovereignty and talk tough about Russia's latest chess moves? 

Some people say "a vice president is just a vice president," that a visit from a #2 isn't all that big a deal. However, it seems that Vice President Biden's current trip has important meanings for all involved. While it may not be as big a deal as a visit from Obama himself, sending the #2 is a great way for Obama to highlight areas of the world that mean the most to the current administration. In January, he sent Biden to Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait and Pakistan on a fact-finding mission to create a withdrawal policy. In February, Biden traveled to Munich to herald a "new era of cooperation" and announce their desire to "press the reset button" with Russia. In March, he went to Chile and Costa Rica to discuss US aid and ways to stop drug trafficking operations across Latin America. In May, he wanted to talk about ethnic tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, support Lebanon's sovereignty and champion the independence of Kosovo. At the end of June, he made a surprise three-day visit to Iraq to discuss the implementation of the troop withdrawal.

One might ask, "Why not send Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on these missions? Isn't that her job?" Yet, Obama has said that he prefers a "divide and conquer" approach to foreign policy, which is reinforced by his sending of Biden, his closest foreign policy advisor. As promised on the campaign trail, Joe Biden is proving that he's involved in all the major operations within the White House and he's getting the ability to wear that Secretary of State hat a little bit, while sitting tall in the second-highest position in the land.