The invasion of the democratic state of Georgia near the day of opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Beijing sent a clear message to the rest of the world: Russia still has influence over its former territories.

Georgia is located in Eastern Europe and shares a border with Russia. The regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which have been disputed, have had de facto independence from Russia since the early 1990s, and suddenly tensions reached a climax.

On Aug. 7, Georgian forces launched an offensive against separatist rebels in those regions. Russia, which supports these rebels, reacted the next day by sending in tanks to South Ossetia. The fighting then broke into the region of Abkhazia. Immediately, Georgian troops in combat zones in Iraq were taken back to Georgia by U.S. planes.

Russian President Dimitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin both have claimed that Georgia is actually the aggressor and they should pay. Russian troops have agreed to pull out of Georgia, but the progress has been very slow.

The reaction around the world, especially from the West (the United States and Britain), has been that Georgia has a right to its sovereignty, but the West has not done anything to check its aggression.

The international community has raised fears of a possible new Cold War. Georgian president Saakashivili has even made statements that said that Russia has challenged international law and order. If this claim by one of the West’s allies is taken seriously, then some form of punishment should transpire.

Because of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the United States appears that it cannot provide any combat support for their democratic neighbor. With this in mind, international support from organizations such as the United Nations or NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) should be obligated to provide support.

One thing lost in all of the news of the war is the refugees displaced because of the conflict. According to the U.N. refugee agency, there are at least 115,000 refugees. With these facts in mind, something must be done. The international community needs to step up and take the necessary steps to prevent a major conflict from happening.