The August 2008 war between Russia and Georgia has shown that building a more productive relationship with Russia will be impossible without closer coordination between America and Europe. The war also demonstrated that the US commitment to Europe is still a critical component of European security and cohesion. As the Allies embark on the search for a reinvigorated Russia policy, they will have to rethink the premises of earlier policies. They will also have to confront head-on the differences between the way much of Europe views Russia and how it is perceived in Washington. If they cannot resolve these differences, or at least agree to disagree on some issues, it will be difficult to craft an effective and unified Western policy. Moreover, they will also have to respond with care to the mixed signals emanating from Moscow.