Diplomatically, Tbilisi is also experiencing problems in the Pankisi Gorge, a rugged region near the Chechen border, which Moscow claims to be a safe haven for Chechen guerrillas. It is this gorge and, more precisely, the tensions and rhetoric that surround it that pose the greatest threat to stability in the region.

Citing the troublesome Pankisi, Vladimir Putin on several occasions has threatened to send Russian troops into Georgia to eradicate such rebel sanctuaries. But clear signals have come from Washington that this would not be accepted and would be a violation of Georgian sovereignty.

Shevardnadze still fears that, if Russian forces enter the Pankisi Gorge and engage in serious fighting, they could then demand to remain, bolstered by further claims of alleged Chechen hideouts. Moscow could then seize the opportunity and attempt a slow, de facto occupation of northern Georgia. Yet, as long as there are U.S. military personnel in Georgia, nothing of the sort will happen. One can only imagine the ramifications of an intelligence mistake or "friendly fire" incident that might unexpectedly and suddenly pit Russian forces against Georgian troops and their U.S. counterparts.

The presence of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, which is still under construction, also makes maximum Georgian security vital to the U.S. and the foreign investors they now represent. Official forays by Russian troops into Georgian territory to fight a protracted, low-intensity conflict would be unacceptable to Georgia, the United States, and the business community invested there.