• Research
  • Politika
  • About
Carnegie Russia Eurasia center logoCarnegie lettermark logo
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Michael McFaul"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "russia",
  "programs": [
    "Russia and Eurasia"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States",
    "Caucasus",
    "Russia"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Policy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

The Russia-Georgia Conflict

With the escalation of violence between Georgia and Russia, and the apparent ceasefire of military operations by Russia, the role of the United States in the build-up and outbreak of the conflict has been largely muted.

Link Copied
By Michael McFaul
Published on Aug 11, 2008

Source: CNN's The Glenn Beck Program

With the escalation of violence between Georgia and Russia, and the apparent ceasfire of military operations by Russia, the role of the United States in the build-up and outbreak of the conflict has been largely muted. Despite being Georgia's strongest Western ally, the U.S. seemed to do little in tempering the conflict.

Speaking to Glenn Beck of CNN, Carnegie's Michael McFaul argues that the U.S. severely lacks leverage with Russia and has no viable military option with which to respond to the conflict. Instead, it could counter Russian aspirations to become the hegemon in the region by using international forums to denounce Russia's actions: "[A] UN Security council resolution... [would] force the Russians to have to veto it and... the Chinese to have to make a say on that, because they`re the country that`s always talking about protecting territorial integrity of states... [T]his is a gross violation of the territorial integrity of Georgia. So that would I think be useful in terms of the symbolism."

Click Here for the Full Transcript

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

Michael McFaul
Former Senior Associate
Michael McFaul
Foreign PolicyNorth AmericaUnited StatesCaucasusRussia

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.

More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    How the Kremlin Achieved Its Latest Implausible Election Results

    Sergei Kiriyenko used Russia’s parliamentary vote to further hone his strategy of corporate mobilization that is designed to maximize votes for United Russia.  

      Andrey Pertsev

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Belarus Wants More From the West Than a ‘Massive Deal’ on Potash

    Trump has promised Belarus a massive potash deal. But Minsk is seeking something greater: restored Western transit and greater room for maneuver from Russia.

      Balázs Jarábik

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Will the Far Right Change Europe’s Russia Policy?

    The European far right might fail to steer EU policy in the direction Russia wants, but they will create enough chaos inside Europe to benefit the Kremlin.

      Dimitar Bechev

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Have U.S.-Belarusian Negotiations Stalled?

    Minsk clearly expected the dialogue with Washington to yield more results, in particular the lifting of EU sanctions and permission to export potash.

      Artyom Shraibman

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Putin Has Been a Hindrance, Not a Help, to United Russia’s Election Campaign

    Russia’s ruling party would have benefited from Putin appearing as its distant patron, but as an active frontman imposing his views on the public, he has done nothing but harm both the party’s election campaign and the ruling system overall.

      Andrey Pertsev

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
Carnegie Russia Eurasia logo, white
  • Research
  • Politika
  • About
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.