I am posting an article I titled "South Ossetia, the Perfect Wrong War." In the current hot debate about the South Ossetia-Georgia conflict there are two main trends in the West:
1. Western frustration: To consider Russia's aggressive response as part of a renewed Cold war and thus a signal for the West to mobilize against the Russians, again.
2. Anti-American Critics: To consider US policy as responsible for this and other crises and thus the need to change this policy.
3. Strategic Wisdom: I am suggesting a third way to look at it through the big picture of our War on Terror and how to deal with such conflicts. This thesis may not attractive to the previous main trends, but it would be wise to consider in a post 9/11 era.
The ongoing debate in the West and particularly in the US is showing revealing trends. The critics of the War on terror blame the US. The supporters of the War on Terror split in two camps. One platform recommending an all out mobilization against Moscow, while the Coalition is battling the Jihadists in Iraq and Afghanistan and dealing with Iran. And another platform advising to smartly contain the current crisis with Russia and focus on the confrontation with the Jihadi forces. The latter forces of course would be delighted to see the US engaging in two global conflicts instead of one. They will be delighted even more, if the US (and the West) would suspend the War on Terror and re-engage in a new Cold war. Here is the essay.