Georgia’s government risked war with Russia. By this, Mikheil Saakashvili intended to make the global public, particularly the European Union (EU) and NATO, aware of the unresolved secession conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. His manoeuvre would have been successful if Georgia had brought about a withdrawal of Russia’s troops from the conflict zones. Conversely, Russia was very well prepared for the challenge of a military conflict with Georgia.