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# Georgia-Russia: calling for a Machiavellian u-turn
- URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/georgia-russia-calling-for-a-machiavellian-u-turn/
- Published: 2008-09-06T19:09:26.000Z
- Updated: 2019-02-14T22:41:35.000Z
- Author: Tony Curzon Price
- Tags: #en, #Migrated, #Import 2026-04-09 18:41

[Rein Müllerson](https://www.opendemocracy.net/article/the-world-after-the-russia-georgia-war), a professor of International Law, strips the Russian-Goergian war of obfuscating legalities. This is not a conflict about \`\`aggression, occupation, genocide, racial discrimination, territorial integrity, peace enforcement, humanitarian mission, sanctity of treaties'' or any such term of art used with "such self-righteous indignation, with such self-confidence by all sides". This is a war about the interests of global powers. The next steps to be taken by the US and Russia will be important in defining a future either of a great (nasty) conflictual game between US, Russia and China or of a concord of nations recognising mutual dependence in the face of global threats. The latter, better path requires all sides now to tone down rhetric, to u-turn without saying so.