Some sense at the Corner

By Fester

Andrew Stuttaford at the National Review Corner is looking at the Georgia-Russia situation and is trying to talk some sense into his fellow writers.  The following chunk I agree with its underlying logic.

Michael, beyond some largely symbolic gestures there is no sensible "military" way in which the West could respond to the Russian move in Georgia/South Ossetia. What's more, encouraging the Ukrainians to adopt a more aggressive stance would be quite remarkably counterproductive (both for Ukraine and the US), especially so far as Sebastopol is concerned....

What we have to recognize is that Russia is a (sorta) great power trying to do what great powers do. This will involve plenty of jostling, shoving, pushing, and all the rest of it. It won't always be pretty, particularly given the KGB-stained nature of Russia's current leadership. On occasion, the U.S. will have to shove back, and shove back very firmly. That said, to try using what's going on in Georgia (as some seem inclined to do) as the inspiration of some sort of revived Cold War is not the way to go...

Russia is, and will remain, a strategic competitor. That's fine. In a multi-polar world, that's life.

We are at a crossroads in history where the odd situation of uni-polarity of the United States is fading and reverting back to multi-polar worlds as Russia has rebuilt its economy, and China's growth is matching its population.  The first two decades of the post-Cold War era is most likely an aberration.  Returns to trends are not a call for World War III, IV, or V.