Last November saw Saakashvili’s riot police crush civil protest in Tibilisi. Euronews ‘no comment’ footage is testimony to the ruthlessness of a man who is no advertisement for democracy. Levelling and burning a town of wooden huts shouldn’t have come as a surprise.

Saakashvili narrowly won a second term of office in an election which OCSE observers were challenged to endorse. They pointed especially to ‘an inequitable campaign environment’ due to state activities.

But so far, the US has been happy to support the man they helped to put in. The US educated Saakashvili shares Bush’s flexible definitions of ‘freedums’.

Domestically, Saakashvili has rolled back quite a few ‘freedums’. His actions have included removing any rights for workers and closing down independent media - even the TV station at one point. Banana republic style, his achievements are a huge military and shopping malls.

But the debacle in South Ossetia may call continued support into question. One long term effect of the war is already known, whichever way it pans out. Investors have been frightened off.

Estonian CEO of Kellakeskus Ltd reckons that the war will keep investors away for 10 years. The Jerusalem Post writes much the same of Israeli businessmen involved in Georgian real estate. Fitch and Standard & Poors have quickly lowered Georgia’s credit rating and Georgian banks have been ordered to stop lending as people dash for cash.

Meanwhile, a whole raft of foreign advisors, consultants and trainers have been evacuated and programmes scrapped. It wasn’t quite the Saigon airlift but it was urgent and worrying. The Polish Foreign Ministry resorted to text messages to alert its nationals. These people won’t be back anytime soon.

The US is not normally concerned about civilian deaths - or what it likes to call ‘collateral damage’ - but a man who’s bad for business might soon find his position untenable.