Something very interesting reportedly happened this summer: according to the Times of London, French President Nicolas Sarkozy succeeded in deterring Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin from “hanging” Georgian President Mikail Saakashvili “by the balls” by asking “do you want to end up like Bush?”

When Sarkozy was in Moscow in August this year, in order to establish peace between Georgia and Russia, Vladimir Putin told Sarkozy he wanted to hang Saakashvili “by the balls,” meaning forcibly removing him from power.

Sarkozy told Putin that the international community would not accept that from Moscow. Putin didn’t care. ““I am going to hang Saakashvili by the balls,” he said.

Sarkozy thought he had misheard. “Hang him?” — he asked. “Why not?” Putin replied. “The Americans hanged Saddam Hussein.”

Sarkozy, using the familiar tu, tried to reason with him: “Yes but do you want to end up like [President] Bush?” Putin was briefly lost for words, then said: “Ah — you have scored a point there.”

The exchange between Putin and Sarkozy seemingly took place because Saakashvili responded, when confronted with it: “I knew about this scene, but not all the details. It’s funny, all the same.”

“Funny” is not exactly the word I would have used to describe it, but all is well that ends well, I suppose.

Lessons learned:

1. Sarkozy saved Saakashvili

2. Fear of “ending up like Bush” now functions as deterrent