Putin Makes His Move
Accident of geography puts Georgia in Russia's way
By ROBERT KAGAN
The man who once called the collapse of the Soviet Union "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the (20th) century" has re-established virtual czarist rule in Russia and is trying to restore his country's dominant role in Eurasia and the world. Armed with wealth from oil and gas; holding a near-monopoly over the energy supply to Europe; with a million soldiers, thousands of nuclear warheads and the world's third-largest military budget, Vladimir Putin believes that now is the time to make his move. Continue
Accident of geography puts Georgia in Russia's way
By ROBERT KAGAN
The man who once called the collapse of the Soviet Union "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the (20th) century" has re-established virtual czarist rule in Russia and is trying to restore his country's dominant role in Eurasia and the world. Armed with wealth from oil and gas; holding a near-monopoly over the energy supply to Europe; with a million soldiers, thousands of nuclear warheads and the world's third-largest military budget, Vladimir Putin believes that now is the time to make his move. Continue