11.12.2008
South Ossetia Obzor III
Aftermath of the Caucasus Conflict, Current Geogian Politics
Events up to Nov 30th, 2008 The following resource is meant to give readers an overview of the current political climate in Georgia and the aftermath of the regional conflict between Russia, Georgia, and the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. For more on the actual conflict and its beginnings, see the first edition or second edition of the South Ossetia Obzor. For more obzori (news reviews) on other issues, see the newsletter for this corresponding month.
For more commentary and analysis of foreign policies post August 8th, see our Foreign Policy Obzor for more news on Eurasia, see our Eurasia News in Review. To receive the free monthly newsletter and obzori by email, simply sign up. Life on the Ground
Residents still affected by shifting troops, aftermath Georgians Flee Border Village as Russian Troops Leave
Dozens of Georgians clambered over one another to crowd into a rickety bus on Monday to flee this remote mountain village, which has become a flash point of mounting tensions on the boundary of South Ossetia. The Story From Inside Wartorn South Ossetia
Without a doubt, this war-ravaged, disputed territory has to be one of the most difficult places I have ever tried to gain access. Geographically, South Ossetia is linked to North Ossetia, in Russia, by only a single winding pass through the imposing Caucasus Mountains, and all access routes to the south into the Republic of Georgia are blocked by the volatile armed conflict lines. Inside a Misunderstood Conflict Zone: Scott Taylor in the Caucasus
In this eye-opening interview, Canadian war reporter Scott Taylor reflects on his recent visit to the Caucasus, where he got an inside look at the scene of this summer's Georgian-Russian conflict from its very epicenter – the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia – while also visiting Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-populated enclave and 1990's hotspot claimed by Azerbaijan. Ossetians fiercely resisted Georgian invasion
WITHOUT a doubt, this war-ravaged, disputed territory has to be one of the most difficult places I have ever attempted to get into. New website allows South Ossetia war victims to speak out
The conflict in South Ossetia in August may have been short, but the consequences will continue for a long time. A website has been set up by those affected by the fighting to allow fellow victims share stories and make sure no one ever forgets the tragedy and suffering of the people. Georgia: Tiny Village Emerges as a Potential Flashpoint
The tenuous security situation in the Georgian village of Perevi has exposed a conundrum for both Georgia and European Union. Both want Moscow to fully withdraw its forces from the town, but they have been forced to tacitly acknowledge that an abrupt Russian departure could result in a renewal of fighting between Georgians and Ossetians. Media Coverage
Western media repents The Cold War That Wasn't
Deconstructing the New York Times fairy tale about how nasty Russia invaded poor, innocent Georgia that almost sparked a new cold war. Tbilisi Responds to Western Media Reports on War's Start
The Georgian government released a statement late on 17 November in an attempt to counter some of the recent western media reports questioning Tbilisi''s assertions about the war''s start in August. Moscow Diary: War of spin
It is the story of how a war was spun. When Russia and Georgia fought over South Ossetia, events unfolded so quickly that even many who had been watching the region closely were taken by surprise. Russia: US media finally got Georgia story right
Moscow's U.N. envoy praised The New York Times on Thursday for challenging Georgia on assertions that Russia started their brief war in August, saying U.S. media had finally got the story right. Senior MPs Claim 'Libelous' Campaign Against Georgia in European Media
Parliamentary Chairman, Davit Bakradze, asked the parliamentary committees for European integration and foreign affairs to set up a group, which would closely monitor coverage of the Georgia-related developments by the western media. US Relations
Future called into doubt Bush hails Georgia's 'Rose Revolution'
Hours before talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, US President George W. Bush in a statement released Saturday hailed Georgia's 2003 "Rose Revolution" to cast off centuries of Moscow's influence. How Far Will We Go for Georgia?
Preserving postwar, post-panic Georgia will probably require an entirely new level of American commitment: not just some kind of security backstop as a substitute for NATO membership but arms to deter Russian tanks; not just advice on cutting taxes and tariffs but billions more in subsidies to keep the country afloat US Aid Finances Luxury Hotel in Tblisi
Why was $176 million of the one billion in aid money earmarked for loans to businesses? US Says Georgia Erred in August Attack in South Ossetia
The U.S. State Department said Friday the Georgian attack in South Ossetia last August was a mistake, but that it did not justify Russia's large-scale intervention. The comments follow a critical newspaper assessment of the Tbilisi government's role in the crisis. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department. Reckless Georgia
It is important to know which side initiated the war in August between Russia and Georgia. If primary blame falls on Russia, as Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili claims, a new Obama administration will have limited latitude in rebuilding relations with Russia. Obama calls Georgian leader Saakashvili
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has called Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to assure Moscow's outspoken foe of Washington's continued support, the Georgian leader's press service said on Tuesday. Tbilisi says Obama supports Georgia's territorial integrity
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has voiced support for Georgia's territorial integrity in a telephone conversation with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, the Georgian presidential office said Tuesday. Abkhazia and Ossetia
as Independent States Georgian Premier Vows to Work for Return of Separatist Regions
Georgian Prime Minister Grigol Mgaloblishvili vowed to ``continue the struggle'' to restore control over two separatist regions after parliament confirmed him in the post. Georgia's Battered Face in a Separatist Republic
IN the office where he reports to work these days, downstairs from the Tbilisi House of Chess, Dmitri Sanakoev, the second president of South Ossetia, is surrounded by photographs of his lost stronghold. Ossetian KGB Major Arrested for Spying
The South Ossetian KGB has uncovered archives left behind by the Georgian special services in enclaves seized from the Georgians. There they found files on Ossetians working for Georgia. South Ossetia: the plaything of Russia - or Georgia?
The region is a political black hole, reports Tim Whewell. A Way Out in the Caucasus
An international trusteeship for Abkhazia could solve the Russo-Georgian conflict. Russia ratifies treaties with 2 Georgian provinces
Russia's parliament on Wednesday quickly ratified treaties cementing close economic and military ties with Georgia's two breakaway provinces. Georgia seeks to isolate Russian-backed regions
Georgia has outlawed investment in its breakaway South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions and imposed entry restrictions on foreigners, under legislation designed to isolate the two Russian-backed territories. The outcome of the talks about the situation in the Caucasus is clear
Today Geneva hosts the second round of negotiations for peace settlement in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian and Georgian-Abkhaz conflicts. At the Geneva meeting, Georgia intends to present Russia as the party interested in conflicts, and to demand replacement of the Russian peace-keeping contingent with an international one. Military Georgian Commander-in-Chief on TV threatens the Abkhazian nation with genocide
Gia Karkarashvili, the Georgian Commander-in-Chief on TV threatens the Abkhazian nation with genocide -August 24, 1992 Georgia, Russia: Moscow's Troop Checkmate
Russia has ratified treaties with the Georgian breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia that will see 3,800 Russian troops stationed in the two territories. The decision puts the Georgian military in checkmate, and it sends a clear message to the West as Russia consolidates control of its periphery. Georgian Politics
Rose Revolution anniversary; opposition gathers steam Post-war Georgia must reform to recover
Georgia must follow through with reforms promised after war with Russia in August if it is to weather the coming economic storm and limit social discontent, an influential thinktank said. Georgia's Saakashvili marks anniversary under fire
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili called for unity after war with Russia on the fifth anniversary of the street protests that brought him to power, but instead faced a direct challenge from a former ally. Five Years After The Rose Revolution, A Functioning State
It was back in 2005 and I had illegally parked my car in Tbilisi. A police officer approached and told me I would have to pay a fine for the infraction. I then did what came naturally for someone raised in the Soviet Union -- I instinctively offered to pay a bribe. Delegation of Georgia's Church Heads for Moscow
A delegation of Georgian Orthodox Church left for Moscow November 4 to negotiate with spokesmen of Russia's Orthodox Church. Public Defender Presents Report on Media
All the nation-wide television stations' editorial policies are fully controlled by the authorities, Sozar Subari, the Public Defender, said on November 14, while presenting his report on freedom of media covering the first half of 2008. Saakashvili sacks PM - for probing South Ossetia conflict?
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has dismissed the country's Prime Minister, Lado Gurgenidze, in a cabinet overhaul following the military operation in South Ossetia. Opposition Georgia's Saakashvili plans to flee country - opposition leader
A senior Georgian opposition party figure said on Friday that President Mikheil Saakashvili and his immediate circle were preparing to flee the country, and had already started transferring money into foreign banks. Nino Burjanadze's Political Talent
Ms Burjanadze has always been in the right place at the right time. The daughter of a famous Georgian official, she was introduced into Eduard Shevardnadze's circle, but she managed to dissociate herself from him to head the rose revolution with Mikhail Saakashvili. Saakashvili Has New Opposition
Former Georgian prime minister Zurab Nogaideli is founding a new party, the Movement for a Just Georgia, which will be in opposition to the current authorities. The main mission of his party, according to Nogaideli, will be "to replace the unsound style of governing with correct government." Burjanadze Ups the Ante on Former Ally
Nino Burjanadze, a former parliamentary chairperson, stepped up her attack on her former ally, President Saakashvili, telling him to choose between the 2003 "Rose Revolution promises" and "securing your personal power." Thousands rally against Georgian leader
More than 10,000 Georgian opposition supporters rallied on Friday against President Mikheil Saakashvili, piling pressure on his government after its crushing military defeat by Russia. One Year After Crackdown, Georgian Opposition Remains Angry -- But Weak
The brutal intervention by Georgian police on November 7, 2007, to disperse peaceful opposition demonstrators in Tbilisi served to focus international attention on the extent to which the initial wave of democratization that followed the Rose Revolution four years earlier had been rolled back. Government Critics Scathing of Reform Push
Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili appointed a new prime minister earlier this week in what he says is an attempt to inspire new democratic reform in his country – but critics suggest the policy shift is an admission of failure. Investigation
Georgia, others probe the war U.S. Downplays Need for War Probe
The U.S. Department of State official said it was now more important "to get both sides, particularly the Russians, to live up to their obligations," rather than to look into "who did what first" in lead-up to August war. Ex-envoy:Georgia thought US backed Ossetia assault
A former Georgian ambassador said Wednesday that Georgia had wrongly convinced itself it had U.S. blessing for an assault on breakaway South Ossetia. Ex-Envoy's Hearing at War Commission Ends in Brawl
A testimony by Erosi Kitsmarishvili, Georgia's former ambassador to Russia and President Saakashvili's former insider, before the parliamentary commission studying the August war, was thwarted after a verbal brawl between Kitsmarishvili and commission member, MP Givi Targamadze. Saakashvili denies ex-diplomat's claims
Claims that the United States gave Georgia the green light to forcibly retake separatist South Ossetia, sparking a five-day war with Russia, are "utter nonsense," President Mikhail Saakashvili said on Friday. Russia will try to prove that Tbilisi used mercenaries in South Ossetia
Russia has information that the Georgian party hired mercenaries from the Czech Republic, Turkey, Ukraine, the U.S. and Chechnya to conduct hostilities in South Ossetia.
Saakashvili Testifies Before War Commission
President Saakashvili testified before the parliamentary commission studying the August war on November 28. Erosi Kitsmarishvili: "Saakashvili wanted the war and he strove for this for four years"
Erosi Kitsmarishvili, Georgia's ex-Ambassador to Russia who held this position for just two months, has continued making the allegations he voiced on 25 November at the sitting of the Temporary Parliamentary Commission on the Study of August Events. Swiss Expert to Lead International Probe into August War – Kouchner
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in an interview with the Russian daily Kommersant, published on October 28, that a group of "intellectuals, politicians and lawyers" will make up an international investigative commission, which would probe the causes of the August war between Russia and Georgia. Georgia Fired More Cluster Bombs Than Thought, Killing Civilians, Report Finds
Georgian military forces fired more cluster munitions during their war with Russia in August than originally thought, and some of the weapons may have malfunctioned, causing civilian casualties when they fell short of military targets and hit Georgian villages, according to new research by Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch Again Backtracks - Still Keeps Up False Claim
During Georgia's war over South Ossetia Human Rights Watch asserted that Russia used cluster bombs. Russia denies to have used any cluster ammunition in that war. My analysis of the pictures provided by HRW and supposed to show such weapon use found that the weapons in question were obviously of 'western' origin. Georgia accused of Ossetia war crimes
The BBC, the UK public broadcaster, has found evidence in South Ossetia that appears to indict Georgian troops of having targeted civilians during their August attack on Tskhinvali, a claim strongly denied by Tbilisi. OSCE chairman coy about Russia-Georgia war
The chairman of a key trans-Atlantic security organization on Wednesday defended its conduct in the run-up to the August war between Russia and Georgia, and said the organization wasn't in a position to assign blame. Amnesty: No Side Blameless In Russia-Georgia War
Three months after the Russia-Georgia war, a new report by watchdog group Amnesty International suggests that all sides to the conflict may be guilty of violating human rights. The group calls on both Moscow and Tbilisi to support an independent investigation into the conduct of all parties during the fighting. Amnesty Says No Side Blameless In Russia-Georgia War
President Mikhail Saakashvili has denied that Georgia`s armed forces committed war crimes during their attack on South Ossetia in August, BBC reported. Senior MoD Official Testifies Before War Commission
Brig. Gen. Mamuka Kurashvili, a Georgian MoD official who was in charge of overseeing peacekeeping operations, testified on October 28 before the parliamentary commission studying the August war. Georgian War Commission National Security Council Chief Testifies Before War Commission
Alexandre Lomaia, the secretary of the National Security Council, told the parliamentary commission studying the August war that "the neutralization of firing positions" inside Tskhinvali was the objective, not the seizure of the town itself. State Minister Testifies Before War Commission
The temporary parliamentary commission studying the August war listened to the testimony of State Minister for Reintegration Temur Iakobashvili on October 27. Chief of Staff Testifies Before War Commission
Zaza Gogava, chief of staff of the Georgian armed forces, testified before the parliamentary commission studying the August war on October 28. Intelligence Chief Testifies Before War Commission
A parliamentary commission studying the causes of the August war began hearings on October 25 with the testimony of Gela Bezhuashvili, the head of the foreign intelligence services. FM Testifies Before War Commission
After listening to testimony by chief of intelligence service, Gela Bezhuashvili, the parliamentary commission studying events leading up to the August war with Russia, questioned Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili on October 25. Who Started the Fire?
The blame game continues - but does it matter? Getting Past Mythmaking In Georgia
Georgia started it and killed civilians in the process. My conclusion? We knew that already. New Details Surface About Georgia-Russia War
Last summer, the world was stunned to see columns of Russian tanks invading the small neighboring country of Georgia. The U.S. and Europe condemned the invasion, but Russia said it was only a response to Georgia's artillery and infantry assault on the Russian-backed breakaway region of South Ossetia. Eyewitness Accounts Confirm Shelling Of Georgian Villages
For Giorgi Kapanadze, the fighting in South Ossetia began days before the world even noticed that a war was going on. Georgia Claims on Russia War Called Into Question
Newly available accounts by independent military observers of the beginning of the war between Georgia and Russia this summer call into question the longstanding Georgian assertion that it was acting defensively against separatist and Russian aggression. The August War: The Russian and Georgian Versions
The August war in the Caucasus was started by the Georgians under a false pretext on the night of Aug. 7. Civilians and Russian peacekeepers were attacked. Georgia fired first shot, say UK monitors
Two former British military officers are expected to give crucial evidence against Georgia when an international inquiry is convened to establish who started the country's bloody five-day war with Russia in August. OSCE 'failed' in Georgia warnings
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe has been accused of failing to warn that this summer's Russia-Georgia conflict was looming. Energy interests behind Russian 'aggression'- Saakashvili
Georgia's President has accused Russia of a pre-planned military offensive in August this year in Georgia, which he says was aimed at protecting Russia's interests in the energy sector. Mikhail Saakashvili made the remarks on Tuesday at the 54th session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly held in Valencia. Medvedev: 'Barbaric Attack' on S.Ossetia was a Test for Russia
The August war with Georgia and global financial crisis was among two major topics addressed by Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, in his first annual state of the nation address on 05 November. Sarkozy scorns Bush over Georgia
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has accused US President George W Bush of failing to take the initiative over the summer conflict in Georgia. Russia-Georgia Relations; Talks
Switzerland will substitute for Russia in Georgia EU: Russia-Georgia talks make some progress
Mediators succeeded Wednesday in getting direct talks going between Russia and Georgia, pressing the two neighbors to resolve security and refugee issues from their August war in the troubled Caucasus. Could the Georgian Diaspora Become a Bridge between Moscow and Tbilisi?
The one million ethnic Georgians now living and working in Russia must organize themselves to defend their own interests as a community, to press for change in their own homeland lest it lose even more territories, and to serve as a bridge between Moscow and Tbilisi, which at present do not have diplomatic relations. Russia, Georgia start talks seen lasting years
Russia and Georgia started talks on Wednesday to resolve tensions over breakaway regions that led to a war in August, and one senior official predicted negotiations could take years. Georgia rebuffed in bid to move Sochi Olympics
Georgia was rebuffed Friday in its bid to get the 2014 Winter Olympics moved out of the Russian resort of Sochi for security reasons. Russian Diplomat: Moscow Willing to Restore Normal Ties with Georgia
Russia is ready to restore normal bilateral relations with Georgia and "to fill it with a natural good-neighborly meaning," which will be built on the basis of respect and will be mutually acceptable, Itar-Tass news agency reported on 18 November quoting special envoy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Vyacheslav Kovalenko. Moscow not to forget Georgia's arms suppliers
Russia will keep an eye on the countries that supplied weapons to Georgia, supporting Mikhail Saakashvili's regime in August 2008, President Dmitry Medvedev said at today's meeting of the presidential commission for military and technical cooperation with foreign countries. Saakashvili: Georgia Under Permanent Threat of Conflict
Georgia faces the permanent threat of conflict as Russia failed to achieve its major goal in August, President Saakashvili said on October 25. Russia, Georgia Continue War By Other Means
For the first time two Council of Europe members have taken their grievances from the battlefield to the courtroom, and the entire situation has put the court in a tight spot. Russia's Lavrov warns Georgia not to shun Geneva talks
Russia's foreign minister warned Georgia on Tuesday that its possible refusal to attend Geneva talks along with South Ossetian and Abkhazian representatives would threaten regional security. Saakashvili: No More Illusions About Russia after Medvedev Speech
President Medvedev's assertive speech should be a wake-up call for those in Europe who still have any illusions about Russia, President Saakashvili said on November 6. Vladimir Putin 'wanted to hang Georgian President Saakashvili by the balls'
Nicolas Sarkozy saved the President of Georgia from being hanged "by the balls" — a threat made last summer by Vladimir Putin, according to an account that emerged yesterday from the Élysée Palace. Putin: Russia will not Leave S.Ossetia, Abkhazia
President Saakashvili is ready to meet South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity in Georgia's southern ski resort of Bakuriani "to increase the scope and scale of confidence building," PM Zurab Nogaideli told the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on October 27. Shooting Near Georgian-Polish Convoy Shots Heard Close to Polish, Georgian Leaders' Convoy
Shots were fired when a motorcade carrying Georgian and Polish Presidents approached a Russian checkpoint at the Akhalgori section of the South Ossetian administrative border, the Georgian television stations reported on 24 November evening. Polish official says Georgia shooting not serious
The leader of Poland's parliament downplayed the shots fired near a convoy carrying the Georgian and Polish presidents as "not very serious" but warned Monday that it would complicate Warsaw's frayed ties with Russia. Polish Special Services Found Unwanted Facts
A big scandal concerning the shelling of the Georgian and Polish presidential escorts on the South Ossetian border has been stirred up. Yesterday influential Polish newspaper Dziennik quoted extracts from a report on investigation carried out in connection with the incident by two Polish special services. Lavrov: Ossetia border shooting staged by Georgia
Shots fired at the Polish and Georgian presidential motorcade near the South Ossetian border were staged and 'yet another provocation' by Georgia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday. Outcomes and Commentary Mikheil Saakashvili: Georgia Acted in Self-Defense.
"Some people seem to misunderstand which country was invaded." Georgia and Russia: the aftermath
The Georgia-Russia war of 8-12 August 2008 has left a host of issues unresolved. The future of the contested territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the resettlement of the expelled and displaced, the fate of Georgia's aspiration to join Nato, and the ambitions of an emboldened Russia are just a few. Russian-American Security Relations After Georgia
Now is the time to hold tightly to the superstructure of the U.S.–Russia past relationship, but only in order to have a stable foundation to think about the future. Georgia's rearguard action
Diplomatic counter-attack mounted after accusations of aggression and war crimes threaten NATO entry. Neutrality not NATO is Georgia's Best Hope for a Free Future
To judge from much of the over-heated commentary in the Anglo-American media, the brief war between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia in August lay somewhere between Brezhnev's occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939 in terms of gratuitous aggression. Sarkozy: Russia 'Largely Fulfilled' Ceasefire Terms
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on November 14, that Russia had "largely implemented" its ceasefire commitments in Georgia, but also said that Russia still had to pull out troops from some of the areas, the French news agency, AFP, reported. The Georgia Watershed
On August 8, following Georgia's reckless attack on the Russia-supported separatist enclave of South Ossetia, Russia invaded Georgia. For the first time in post-Soviet history, Russian troops crossed the internationally recognized border of a sovereign neighboring state. Yet there were several other lines that may have been crossed. The war in Georgia helped the West to understand Dmitry Medvedev's ideas better
Yesterday the annual meeting of OSCE foreign office chiefs opened in Helsinki, with the war in the Caucasus highlighted. Georgia war dims trans-Atlantic security meeting
The war between Georgia and Russia overshadowed a meeting Thursday of some 50 foreign ministers from a leading trans-Atlantic security group, aimed at improving regional security and solving conflicts between members. The Bitter Taste of Victory
Georgia will reap the fruits of its “victory” beginning next month, when the billions of dollars of Western aid begin rolling in. But the question is whether it was worth $4.5 billion to lose a third of its territory. Find Out More!
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