Russification

With the world's dismissal of the events in northern Asia this year, I thought I would draw your attention to the Russian invasion once more. during the middle of 2008, Russia sent troops into Georgia to claim several sympathetic city's and encountered little resistance. The official story is that Georgian forces invaded their own breakaway territory of South Ossetia and Russia reinforced the beleaguered home guard of said state. However, thousands of civilians of that semi-autonomous state were killed in Russian bombing of civilian areas. As far as we know now, the situation has calmed down considerably. The unification that this was pegged as was not as clear cut as it should have been. Many people on both sides of the conflict were dissatisfied with the manner in which it occurred.
The implications of a reunified Russia can be great or terrible and that is what I wish to examine. a stronger Russia can diffuse some of our disagreements with China and contribute more to the global community; or with the military infrastructure that lies dormant in their nation they could become a threat again(if they so choose). We lie at a turning point in the global makeup."everyone is going to be looking at Russia through a different set of lenses"(Gates)http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50816
This argument is not one that is politically motivated. I merely hope to provide some dialogue on the possibility enabled by this event. Russia can stand as protectors of their neighbors, or they can use their influence to undermine the efforts of their neighbors, as they did in Georgia. Possibly they struck at Georgia to show that they are slow to forget their past, or to prove their strength is returning.