America and the Russian-Georgian War

Stephen Blank reflects on the US role in relation to invasion of Georgia by Russia. Russia invaded Georgia and undermined its territorial integrity without incurring any lasting political costs in its foreign relations with Europe and the US. Russia's actions have given rise to significantly heightened fears throughout Central and Eastern Europe about the possibility of separatist movements and support by Russia for such movements against the states that broke free of the Warsaw Pact in 1989. Russia successfully demonstrated the inability or unwillingness of the US, Europe, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to act in resolute fashion for Georgia or do anything constructive for that country. The Georgian war has already long since turned out to be a useful tool for Moscow in trying to push its new security plan for Europe. The war has also resulted in a sharp deterioration of both Russian-Ukrainian politics and Ukraine's internal politics.