Book Review: "Asmus, Ronald D. A Little War that Shook the World: Georgia, Russia, and the Future of the West" by George Hewitt

The Slavonic and East European Review, Volume 89, Number 3, 1 July 2011 , pp. 591-593(3)

Asmus, Ronald D. A Little War that Shook the World: Georgia, Russia, and the Future of the West. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke and New York, 2010. xii +254 pp. Map. Notes. Bibliography. Index. £20.00: $27.00.

Those inclined to conspiracy theories and/or consumed by Cold War-era russophobia, will find this book a compelling read, especially if they know nothing about Georgia. Already it has captivated the usual suspects. Senator John McCain who, at the time of the events described herein, produced the unforgettable (albeit misguided) comment: ‘We are all Georgians now!’, deems it ‘required reading’ (dust-jacket). Strobe Talbott also lends endorsement with a short Preface.

Asmus, who died on 30 April 2011 but who was Executive Director of the Brussels-based Transatlantic Centre at the time of this book’s composition, hatches a simple plot, though his inability to spell correctly the name of South Ossetia’s president (Kokoiti, not Koikoty) calls into question his regional expertise.

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