40303 - Regarding peculiar alliances

N. Lygeros
Translated from the Greek by Athina Kehagias

Serbia considers Russia to be its great ally, as so to say traditionally and historically, and assumingly due to both religion and the Slavic element. However, when the Kosovo issue arose, Russia’s response followed the characteristics of Petrov’s defense, and instead of protecting the pawn with the knight, it attacked another pawn, Georgia in Caucasus. Consequently, in one move, they combined situations in a topostrategic manner and not merely a geostrategic one, as Kosovo and South Ossetia had no direct relationship but only an indirect one through alliances. The problem in regards to Serbia is that it didn’t change anything about its situation, whereas the change in the case of Georgia was tremendous. Therefore, instead of creating a defense in the Balkans, they’ve created a counter-attack in Caucasus. This methodology led to an equilibrium between the great powers, whereas, the smaller ones of each region suffered the cost of friction and warfare. The question remains regarding the worth of such type of alliances. Because they are so peculiar and bear such a resemblance to the open varianta of the Russian defense, that we ought to study it in depth in order to examine the future implications at a strategic level. It’s good to bare that in mind when we talk about alliances.