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Article: The end of happy endings in the post-cold war.(Russia on Georgia)(Cover story)
- Article from:
- European Affairs
- Article date:
- September 22, 2008
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 The European Institute. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Introduction
Russia's mauling of Georgia was a game-changing geopolitical development for Western democracies--above all, for Europe. For Russia, it is a conquest, and a diminished Georgia will need determined Western help to retain a fig leaf of viability. It is time to re-examine the assumption--left unexamined for too long--that time was working to bring about a happy ending to the cold war, with Russia moving along the lines that the West has been following since NATO enlargement a decade ago. Instead, Moscow has changed a national boundary by force of arms and will probably incorporate South Ossetia and Abkhazia into Russia. Some have described this action ...