The Limits of Deterrence

Now that the conflict in Georgia has returned to a simmer, it is time to reflect on some of the larger lessons. Perhaps the most important lesson is about the limits of America's ability to protect small, strategically exposed client states. Hawkish pundits and politicians insist that if Georgia had been a member of NATO, Russia would never have dared to use military force against it. Those confident assertions are wrong on two levels, and they underscore a dangerous flaw in U.S. foreign policy.

The military is overextended in foreign countries and Russia knows it. Russia called our bluff in Georgia. This does not bode well for our ability to intervene in a real crisis.