The New Cold War

(Newser) - “America’s back in the cold war and W.’s back on vacation,” writes Maureen Dowd in the New York Times , observing that as another global crisis begins, the president is again failing to take it seriously. After condemning Russia’s push into Georgia, Bush skipped off to his ranch—where he’s spent 469 days of his presidency. His trip to China, likewise, saw little work and a lot of play in a celebration of China's ascension on the world stage. More »

(Newser) - Dimitry Medvedev said today he'll start pulling troops out of Georgia tomorrow, but has no plans to withdraw from the separatist stronghold of South Ossetia, the BBC reports. The Russian president made the pledge after a phone conversation with Nicolas Sarkozy, who had brokered a ceasefire Friday. Despite signing the agreement, Russia has continued to control a wide swath of Georgia, including the city of Gori and the main highway through the western part of the country, the AP reports, and today confirmed that it had taken over a major power plant. More »

(Newser) - The explosion of violence in South Ossetia took the world by surprise, but Russia and Georgia had been gearing up for war for months, reports the Wall Street Journal . Both sides had been steadily boosting their military presence around South Ossetia, waiting for the trigger that came with Ossetian shelling of Georgian positions. More »

(Newser) - A top Russian general warned yesterday that Poland would be "100% exposed" to nuclear attack if it follows through with plans to host a US missile defense system, reports the Times of London. The agreement "cannot go unpunished," the general warned in the first direct threat from the Kremlin since the fall of the Soviet Union. More »

(Newser) - US-Russian relations took another turn for the worse today with Moscow lashing out at America's new missile-defense deal with Poland. Dmitry Medvedev said the system will be aimed at Russia and denounced as "fairy tales" the US contention that it will deter strikes from rogue nations such as Iran, Reuters reports. Condoleezza Rice refuted the Russian president's allegations. More »