"After the Georgian leadership lost their marbles, as they say, all the problems got worse and a military conflict erupted. This is a serious warning, a warning to all. And I believe we should handle other existing conflicts in this context," – Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev to Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin.
Moscow’s success in Georgia is already leading to extreme pressure on Moldova and Azerbaijan. We are in denial if we do not see that Russia is back in a big way, and its first order of business is consolidating its near abroad. I should add, I suppose, that I do not believe the role of the West is to treat this like the Soviet Union. Putting the prestige and power of the West behind ethnic enclaves and countries bordering Russia is an absurd misplacement of priorities, especially when the West desperately needs Russian cooperation in securing nuclear materials, and an absence of outright Russian hostility on, or even alliance with, Iran. This is something we have to live with.
The Dish 