This paper examines the Cold War rhetoric in US–Russia relations by looking at the 2008 Russia–Georgia war as a major breaking point. We investigate the links between media, public opinion and foreign policy. In our content analysis of the coverage in two major US newspapers, we find that the framing of the conflict was anti-Russia, especially in the initial stages of the conflict. In addition, our survey results demonstrate that an increase in the media exposure of US respondents increased the likelihood of blaming Russia exclusively in the conflict. This case study helps us understand how media can be powerful in constructing a certain narrative of an international conflict, which can then affect public perceptions of other countries. We believe that the negative framing of Russia in the US media has had important implications for the already-tenuous relations between the US and Russia by reviving and perpetuating the Cold War mentality for the public as well as for foreign policymakers.

In developing countries, the magnitude as well as the composition of foreign capital greatly influences the political fortunes of domestic actors, and thus regime trajectory. This paper demonstrates that the states of Central Asia and the Caucasus depend heavily on external capital flows for the financing of their fiscal deficits and that the bulk of the flows go directly to authoritarian governments. This situation has empowered authoritarian rulers, provided very little financial strength to local businesses, and offered half-hearted incentives for market reforms. Moreover, the small differences among these states in terms of the composition of capital flows also explain why some of these states have moved towards a milder version of authoritarian rule while others have been stuck in hard authoritarianism.