Finlandisation is back. During the cold war the term described those states which had a formal independence but existed in barely disguised servitude to Moscow. Finland, Jean-Francois Revel noted in his 1983 book. How Democracies Perish, “preserved the inviolability of its territory, what was left of it, and the right to live privately in a non-totalitarian society” but was forbidden to accept Marshall Plan aid, join the EEC or sign trade agreements with Europe. It took its orders from Moscow in foreign policy. This is the fate Putin (and some in the west) now seek to impose on Georgia. And now, as then, Russia hopes to impose Finlandisation by a mix of hard and soft power. The Finlandisation of Georgia would have momentous consequences. Russia would gain control of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, strangle Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, and push Germany and Europe further down the road of appeasement. The democracies should draw a red line, but not around South Ossetia. If the South Ossetians want to be part of Russia they should be. Blocking the self-determination of peoples is no part of progressive internationalism. Rather, the democracies should act in concert to ensure that any attempt by Russia to Finlandise the newer members of our family will not stand.