Extract from Peter Lavelle – Russia Today:

From the start of the Ossetian conflict to Russia’s recognition of Georgia’s breakaway republics, the dominant discourse found in the West goes something this: Russia is resurgent, self-confident, and revengeful. All of this translates into the grand return of a great power demanding to have its voice heard and even willing to use force if necessary. Russia’s parlay with Georgia and its pro-American and erratic President Mikhail Saakashvili fit nicely with how most of the world is told how to think about the new Russia. It is a nice fit because it fits well with the post-Cold War paradigm that protects and promotes Western (primarily American) global interests. In a nutshell, that paradigm cannot allow others to have foreign policy interests that are beyond and/or at variance with those of the West. Russia is now challenging this.