Michele Dunne, Robert Kagan
{
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"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
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"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
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}Source: Getty
Russia's Message Of Power
Russia’s military campaign in Georgia is Vladimir Putin’s boldest move to reassert Russian dominance across its borders. Robert Kagan explains, “This is the culmination of Putin’s efforts to pull Georgia back within Russia’s sphere and exert control over it... There won’t be a pro-Western Georgian government who wants to join NATO by the time that Putin is finished with this.”
Source: CBS News

About the Author
Former Senior Associate
Kagan, author of the recent book, The Return of History and the End of Dreams (Knopf 2008), writes a monthly column on world affairs for the Washington Post and is a contributing editor at both the Weekly Standard and the New Republic.
- Why Egypt Has To Be The U.S. Priority In The Middle EastIn The Media
- U.S. Policy Toward Egypt—A Primer on the Upcoming ElectionsCommentary
Robert Kagan, Michele Dunne
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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