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It is difficult to understand what prompted Mikheil Saakashvili to transform the Russian–Georgian cold war into a hot one. The Georgian leader would have been better off rallying a diplomatic coalition to pressure Moscow. His attack, whether provoked or not, has undermined his international credibility. Now some of his allies in the United States and Europe blame him for igniting a crisis which has cost his nation dearly and lowered the threshold for Russian military intervention in Russia's ‘near abroad’. The conflict also became a diplomatic confrontation between Russia and the West. In this test of wills, none of the parties – Georgia, Russia or the West – has emerged as a winner. The post-Cold War world order, built on the assumption that Russia and the West could settle all their differences by peaceful means, has been challenged.