The military redeployment indicates that despite the French-brokered cease-fire framework that Russia accepted, it is striving to maintain considerable economic and military pressure on Georgia, a close ally of the United States. The ultimate goal, it seems, is the ouster of its pro-Western president, Mikheil Saakashvili.

The entire Georgian column that was headed towards Gori has now turned around and headed back towards the Georgian capital Tbilisi. Whilst some Georgian soldiers have been armed and trained by the United States military they know they are no match for the superior Russian force.

A day after the truce was brokered by French President Nicholas Sarkozy, Russia faced mounting criticism in the West for its continuing military offensive in Georgia, and US President George W Bush demanded that Russian troops withdraw from the country.

Will the United States put real pressure on Russia to stop? The prevailing view in our State Department: “While America considers Georgia its strongest ally in the bloc of former Soviet countries, Washington needs Russia too much on big issues like Iran to risk it all to defend Georgia.”