Georgia on our minds

France and Russia announced a six-point plan for the end of hostilities in Georgia. Russian President Dmitri A. Medvedev announced an end to military operations in Georgia, though the rules of engagement seem to remain a bit flexible. In turn, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, in consultation with parliament, is withdrawing from the Commonwealth of Independent States which replaced the Soviet Union, cutting away the last ties to its past with Russia. And while there are many lessons to be learned from the Georgia war, the most important for Georgia's ties to the west is that it "is unlikely to join NATO anytime soon."