Experts and commentators have been pouring out books, pamphlets and articles in recent times telling us that conventional wars between states are a thing of the past and that all nations now instead face a kind of globalized, nihilistic terrorism requiring entirely new responses. Unfortunately the Russians have just proved them wrong.

Here we have a good old-fashioned territorial war between two states, one large and one tiny, complete with buffer zones, occupying forces and tanks. There is the familiar talk of the need to protect Russian citizens in the South Ossetian and Abkhazian enclaves, which Russia regards as almost its own territory. The added irony is that it was Josef Stalin, a Georgian, who put many of the Russians there in the first place.

In the predicted new age of asymmetrical warfare, David is always supposed to outwit and beat Goliath. But in this case Goliath has prevailed with ease and Russia is behaving as though it never heard the argument. The simple Moscow view is that Georgia is a tiresome and badly behaved little neighbor, and that it must be firmly brought into line.