The Rude Awakening.(World Affairs; EUROPE)(European Union's weak resolution on the Russian-Georgian conflict)

Byline: Stefan Theil

EU leaders believed Russia's economic development would make it more European. Not anymore.

The criticism of the European Union's weakly worded resolution on the Russian-Georgian conflict--warning Russia to withdraw its troops from Georgia without naming specific consequences should Moscow fail to comply--was as predictable as it was seething. "Europe can keep sucking our oil and gas," mocked the Moscow tabloid Tvoi Dyen. Western commentators likened Europe's message to Robin Williams's spoof of unarmed British cops: "Stop! Or we'll say 'stop' again!"

Once again, the limitations of Europe acting as one on foreign policy were painfully obvious. The one measure the 27 leaders could agree on at their emergency summit in Brussels was to suspend talks on a planned EU-Russia agreement regulating such things as trade and visas--a largely symbolic act considering the talks have been stalled for more than a year. But the more interesting news was how closely aligned EU members were compared to the last emergency summit in 2003, when the continent's split over the Iraq War led to the worst foreign-policy crisis in the EU's history. This time, they unanimously agreed that there had been a red line, and that Russia had crossed it by invading Georgia and unilaterally declaring two of its provinces independent.

What's more, the lack of tough action was more a reflection of coolheaded realism than of disunity. "Europe's short-term options are close to zero," says Jan Techau, an analyst at the German Council on Foreign Relations. Fighting a nuclear-armed Russia over Georgia? Forget it. Trade sanctions would hit Europe with a painful backlash--its citizens depend on Russian deliveries for 25 percent of their oil and gas consumption, and its companies are heavily invested in Russia. Given Russia's phobias about Western conspiracies and encirclement, threats would likely harden Russian policies. Even if it wanted to take a tougher line, says Techau, the EU hasn't even begun to develop strategic options for a more bellicose Russia, instead choosing to live comfortably with the narrative that Russia's economic integration would align it with a soft-power, multilateral, postconflict Europe.

The Russian-Georgian war has shot down this illusion. "Georgia ...