Russia Bringing Back the Soviet Union?

Eastern European countries beware. Russia has destroyed much of the sovereign nation of Georgia, broken several cease-fires, tried to destroy the only oil pipeline to Europe not running through Russian territory, and now says that they will not allow Georgia to be put back together again.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has stated that he has been approached by the leaders of the break-away Georgian provinces of Abkhazia and South Osettia and will not allow them to be forced back into Georgia. This flies in the face of the United States, which has demanded that Georgia's territorial integrity be respected. Fears that the Russians will absorb these provinces were once considered silly, but now appear to be a serious possibility. With the West doing nothing to slow or stop the Russian bear from tearing apart and gobbling up democratic regimes, a message has been sent to the world. Help the West and the West will not help you.

World Reaction to Invasion of Georgia

According to Breitbart, White House press secretary Dana Perino said that "Our position on Georgia's territorial integrity is not going to change no matter what anybody says, and so I would consider that to be bluster from the foreign minister of Russia. We will ignore it." This, unfortunately, seems to be the problem. The world is largely ignoring the crisis. Though humanitarian aid has been sent, little more than bluster has been used to save the Georgian people. Major Powers have admitted they will not use force to intervene, which allows Russia to do whatever she feels like. In fact, the West has played their hand so badly that now Russia is considering taking some sort of action against Ukraine, another democratic ally of the United States.

The Russian Threat to Eastern Europe

After turning off oil to Ukraine and Moldova, among others, Russia has shown blatant hostility and contempt for the Eastern European countries which would fall next if Georgia is allowed to be destroyed.Russia is behaving this way for several reasons. One, Putin aims to control as much of the world's resources as he can reach. Already he has laid an aggressive claim to the entire North Pole, not waiting for international groups to map out where the underwater shelves lie. This is to secure the vast oil resources there.

Second, Putin has rolled back all democratic progress in Russia. The former KGB leader has instead created a new autocracy, which he controls. Formerly a President, Putin gave himself the office of Prime Minister and transferred all power there.

Third, Russia does not want Eastern Europe to adopt a U.S. missile defense shield. Russia claims that this will spark a new arms race and has repeatedly threatened Ukraine and Poland for joining the missile defense program. Earlier in 2008, Russia shut off oil to the Ukraine as punishment. According to Reuters, Russia is shifting their attention once again to Ukraine, prompting many to speculate that Georgia was nearly a practice run for the military. Especially now that the United States and Europe has done nothing to stop them, confidence is running high among the Russian elite. They accuse Ukraine of helping Georgia carry out "ethnic cleansing" of the native Russians, which prompted the invasion in the first place.

The Future of Eastern Europe

If Ukraine falls, Russia is well on her way to recreating the Soviet Union. All the progress that has been made since 1991 in Eastern European nations like Poland and Czechoslovakia will collapse as Russia inches further and further from her borders. A new Cold War may be brewing, so will future generations be asking themselves if it could have been prevented if only a nation stood up to help Georgia and Ukraine?