Are Russia and the West Facing a New Cold War? | Newsweek International

GEORGIA
A Coup for the Kremlin
Owen Matthews 4/18/2009 12:00:00 AM
Five years ago, tens of thousands of Georgians took to the streets to overthrow a corrupt, pro-Russian government and put a bright, young, American-educated lawyer into power. It was a heady and hopeful time—not just for Georgia, but for a swath of post-Soviet countries that had gained nominal independence but were still mired in crony capitalism and political dependence on Moscow. Georgia's new leader, Mikheil Saakashvili, was "energetic, well educated —he liked to take risks," remembers Nino Burzhanadze, one of his closest allies during the Rose Revolution. "He had 100 percent support in his country and practically 100 percent support in the West —no other president in the world has ever had the chances that President Saakashvili had."
THE LAST WORD
Mikheil Saakashvili : Where Are My Western Friends?
Anna Nemtsova 4/11/2009 12:00:00 AM
In the largest opposition demonstration in Georgia since November 2007— WHEN President Mikheil Saakashvili tested his democratic credentials by sending in riot police to quash the protests—tens of thousands of people filled Tbilisi's leafy Rustaveli Avenue last Thursday to demand Saakashvili's resignation. The president retreated to his residence, where he spoke with NEWSWEEK's Anna Nemtsova about the crowds on the street, his difficult relationship with Russia and how the West has largely abandoned him in recent months. Excerpts:
WORLD AFFAIRS
How the West Won Ukraine
Owen Matthews 12/6/2008 12:00:00 AM
In Brussels last week, NATO foreign ministers met to hash out details on whether Ukraine and Georgia should be allowed into the military alliance, and to figure out how even to make that decision without appearing to appease or provoke Russia, which has bitterly opposed it. Finally, after two days of diplomatic wrangling and 22 drafts of a communiqué, Western Europeans, led by Germany and France, finally succeeded in blocking U.S. efforts to offer Ukraine and Georgia a formal path into NATO. But this obscures a simple fact: support for NATO membership has been waning fast among Ukraine's political elite, with little more than 10 percent of parliamentary deputies actively backing accession. Meantime Ukrainians have their eye on a bigger prize. Close to 50 percent of Ukrainians, and all the major political parties, now favor joining the European Union—up from 30 percent four years ago.
CAMPAIGN 2008
Projections of Power
Andrew Nagorski 11/3/2008 12:00:00 AM
So the seemingly endless U.S. presidential campaign is finally ending. If it started with a high level of excitement, it soon began to feel like Mao's Long March, a grueling journey where only the true believers could maintain their enthusiasm. Now, there will be more than just relief that the journey is over: there will be a new burst of excitement. This happens whenever a new president takes office, but it'll be doubly the case here. The weariness with eight years of the Bush administration and fears about the global economy guarantees that, at least for a while, the new team will inspire new hope at home and abroad, almost a dizzying sense of new possibilities.
WORLD AFFAIRS
The Realist Resurgence
Christopher Dickey 10/11/2008 12:00:00 AM
Mail Call: Russia’s Power Play
10/11/2008 12:00:00 AM
I agree with Clifford G. Gaddy's Sept. 1 essay, "How Not to Punish Moscow." Gaddy writes, "It appears that Russia will have its way with Georgia and that the West is powerless to do anything about it." Remember that Georgia was part of the Soviet Union. Although it gained independence, as far as Russia is concerned Georgia remains a vassal state. Russia will not tolerate positioning of weapons of destruction in its vassal states under the guise of NATO or other security arrangements with the West. What Russia did to Georgia is reminiscent of America's quarantine of Cuba when the Soviet Union placed missiles there. Thus, Russia feels justified in teaching a lesson to Georgia—a country viewed as too pro-America and beginning to feel that its independence is a license to test Russia's patience. Vladimir Putin is no ordinary leader. Being an ex-KGB man and proud of his Russian blood, he's prepared to go all the way to redeem Russia's pride after the unexpected loss of rich territories that have become nation-states in their own right. Georgia learned a lesson in ethnic politics. When Putin gave the order to invade Georgia, it was done with careful calculation. It will not be in America's or NATO's interest to retaliate militarily unless they are prepared for Armageddon. Russia is not Iraq, and Putin is not Saddam Hussein. The United States and NATO should not pour salt over wounds by making disparaging remarks, but must endeavor to look at the issue from a wider perspective in the name of peace, love and humanity.Hassan Bin TalibSelangor, Malaysia