Russian Invasion of Georgia and the Stakes for Crimea

The Russian invasion of Georgia on August 8 sparked a serious crisis in Russia's relations with the West and perhaps forced the Ukrainian government to reevaluate its policies with respect to Crimea. Various politicians and political analysts have been commenting on the recent events and pointing to the dangers involved in having the Black Sea fleet and pro-Russian factions on the peninsula. Crimean Tatars who live on the peninsula have been aware of the increasingly aggressive pro-Russian activities there. Now the seriousness of these developments is being discussed in the Western media, with questions whether Crimea might just become the next target for Russia. The Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko emphasized the importance of participating in "the collective securiy system of free democratic nations, exemplified today by NATO." The Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Jemilev called on the Ukrainian authorities to define more clearly their position on the security of Crimea, as 60% of the peninsula's population support Russian actions.
Here are some selections from the Media:
"Fears That Crimea Could Be Next Flashpoint for Conflict With Russia" by Askold Krushelnycky. Radio Free Eruope/Radio Liberty, August 24, 2008.
"Ukrainians Discuss How Best to Counter Russian Threat to Crimea" by Paul Goble. Window on Eurasia, 21 August 2007.
"Russia's Imperial Comeback Not Desirable for Turkey" by Hakan Kirimli. Zaman (Istanbul), 18 August 2008.