just thinking out loud. If the US image was deteriorating, dollar falling, respect diminishing etc ..., the re-emergence of Russia might make many countries re-evaluate the USA, that they need the USA as ally against any Russian threat (economic or military). This could mean they may be more supportive of the dollar, our debt, etc ...
Did the US encourage Georgia to take command of South Ossetia, knowing the Russian reaction? Again, just a thought, now that my brain over the last year, has been infiltrated by conspiracy theories, elite power groups, dog-wagging, and other ideas that I used to think were just crazy talk.
yield