Georgia Conflict Highlights Rift in U.S.-Russian Relations

Full scale warfare across international borders are actually quite rare in the modern world. Most of the time, as with the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait or the 2008 dispute where Colombian forces entered Ecuador, the situation is met with sharply focused diplomacy and, failing a settlement, military action by the major powers (usually sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council or another international body).

But when one of the world's major powers is leading the invasion (think United States into Iraq in 2003), there is little the rest of the world can do to stop the incursion (even if they wanted to).

And this is where things seem to stand with the Russian incursion into Georgia. Lots of terms, issues, and references to international law are being waved around (self-determination, territorial integrity, power politics, sphere of influence, etc.) but nothing really trumps the reality that a powerful country (a nuclear powered, permanent member of the U.N. Security Council with full veto authority) can get away with an awful lot.

So... how did we get here and what happens next?