This war was all about showing Georgians and other interested parties that Russia would enforce their view of sovereignty. The UN was putatively created to deal with this sort of thing, but Russia is doing well, so far, intimidating the UN into inactivity - but the truth is - despite some heated rhetoric in some circles - no one wants to go to war over Georgia at the moment. Except Russia. It’s a clear victory, short term, for the Russians. Long term, maybe not so much. The Poles, who were playing cute over missile defense - and the recipient of warnings themselves about things like that - suddenly developed an intense interest in the subject - and no doubt Ukraine and Byelorussia are taking notes - as clearly the Baltic states are. NATO and the Europeans have been reminded that the Russian bully they have feared and despised for so long - is no longer the drunken bully who is staggering around, more a danger to himself than others. He’s cleaned himself up, and it turns out he’s not just a mean drunk. He can be mean sober, too. Or at least prickly about issues of honor and self-interest.
