Russia's invasion of Georgia—and how prayer can bring peace

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ON AUGUST 8, when all eyes were on Beijing's Olympic coming-out party, Russia was faced with a momentous decision.

Hours before Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and US President George Bush would sit together at the opening ceremonies, Russia's neighbor, Georgia, launched a lightning assault on a little patch of land that is very important to Moscow. Called South Ossetia, it has become the centerpiece of what many Western diplomats, academics, and analysts see as a new era in Russia's relations with the West—maybe even a second cold war, say some.

South Ossetia is a formerly autonomous region. In Soviet times, it was folded into dictator Josef Stalin's home republic of Georgia. Ever since the USSR collapsed, its citizens, 90 percent of whom now carry Russian passports, have pushed for independence from Georgia, a move that Russia strongly supports.

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Russia's invasion of Georgia—and how prayer can bring peace

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