Russian Aggression

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In The Media

Russian Aggression

With reports that Russian troops remain in Georgia, the West continues its diplomatic push to resolve the conflict. Yet the U.S. and its allies have limited leverage with which to influence Russian policy.

By Michael McFaul

Published on Aug 15, 2008

Source: CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight

With reports that Russian troops remain in Georgia, the West continues its diplomatic push to resolve the conflict. In an interview with CNN’s Lou Dobbs, Michael McFaul acknowledges that the West does not have enough leverage over Russia to influence its actions. He explains that the U.S. could have helped prevent the crisis in the first place if it had dealt with the, 'frozen conflicts' in South Ossetia and Abkhazia earlier: “We needed a negotiated settlement and we needed real international peacekeepers.”

He reiterates that now the primary U.S. goal should be to "get the Russian troops back to their pre-invasion places.”

Click here to watch

About the Author

Michael McFaul

Former Senior Associate

In addition to his role at Carnegie, McFaul is Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and associate professor of political science at Stanford University.

Recent Work

Article
Why a Democratic Russia Should Join NATO
- Леонид Гозман, Michael McFaul
Report
Russia at a Crossroads: Upcoming Elections Defining Issue
- Michael McFaul, Sanja Tatic

Foreign Policy North America United States Caucasus Russia Georgia

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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