A new cold war? Russia's invasion of Georgia last month may signal a new era of hostility between Russia and the West. How should the U.S respond?

• Author: Myers, Steven Lee
• Position: Cover story

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Washington woke up on the morning of August 8 to the news that Russian troops had invaded neighboring Georgia, it felt like a throwback to the Cold War decades of the 20th century.

The Russian attack--the first outside its territory since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991--has sparked renewed tension between Russia and the United States and its European allies.

"With its actions in recent days, Russia has damaged its credibility and its relations with the nations of the free world," President Bush said. " Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century."

When the Soviet Union collapsed 17 years ago, a third of its empire escaped Moscow's control. A smaller, economically devastated Russia was for many years unable to play the grand role on the world stage it had been accustomed to when the Soviet Union shared superpower status with the U.S. There was little Russia could do as its former republics and Eastern European satellites grew closer--economically, politically, and militarily--to the U.S. and Europe.

But in recent years, Russia's economy recovered as its Communist policies gave way to free-market reforms, and oil revenues soared along with the price of oil. (Russia is the world's second largest oil producer, after Saudi Arabia.) Feeling more confident, Russia has been taking a more assertive role in world affairs, expressing its displeasure about its former republics' closer ties with the U.S. and NATO.

Georgia in particular has been a thorn in the side of Russia's leaders, Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin and President Dmitri A. Medvedev. The U.S. has supported Georgia's democratic reforms, trained its military, and backed its bid to join NATO.

GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS

Russia's invasion followed the escalation of a long-simmering dispute over two small regions in Georgia (South Ossetia and Abkhazia) with close ties to Russia. But in international affairs, regional disputes can have powerful ramifications around the globe. U.S.-Russian cooperation on key issues like Iran's nuclear program, weapons treaties, and counterterrorism could now be at risk. In addition, a newly emboldened but estranged Russia could use its influence, money, and energy resources to undermine American interests around the world.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates says that Russia unleashed its military into Georgia to accomplish two goals: to punish Georgia for trying to integrate with the...