Azerbaijan Becomes Object of Russian-Western Rivalry

Although widespread fighting in Georgia has ceased, the war's diplomatic repercussions continue to ripple throughout the region. One major concern in Washington is that Russia's successful military intervention in Georgia will intimidate other former Soviet republics to, if not bandwagon with Moscow, at least distance themselves from the United States to avoid antagonizing a newly belligerent Russia.

It is therefore no accident, as Russian Prime Minister Vladmir Putin likes to say, that U.S. Vice President Richard Cheney visited Azerbaijan last week. Cheney travelled to Baku even before arriving in Georgia and Ukraine, whose governments have been engaged in more acute confrontations with Moscow. Nor is it a coincidence that the White House chose Cheney -- an anti-Russian hardliner with deep experience in the energy industry -- to make the trip.

Upon his arrival, Cheney reaffirmed that, "President Bush has sent me here with a clear and simple message for the people of Azerbaijan and the entire region: the United States has a deep and abiding interest in your well-being and security."