Mark
Almond from Oxford University explains how after the collapse of the
Soviet Union, both South Ossetia and Abkhazia were denied the right of
self determination and how the region’s history reflects its present.
To
many Russians this vast geopolitical retreat from places which were
part of Russia long before the dawn of communist rule brought no bonus
in relations with the west. The more Russia drew in its horns, the more
Washington and its allies denounced the Kremlin for its imperial
ambitions.
Unlike
in eastern Europe, for instance, today in breakaway states such as
South Ossetia or Abkhazia, Russian troops are popular. Vladimir Putin's
picture is more widely displayed than that of the South Ossetian
president, the former Soviet wrestling champion Eduard Kokoity. The
Russians are seen as protectors against a repeat of ethnic cleansing by
Georgians.
In
1992, the west backed Eduard Shevardnadze's attempts to reassert
Georgia's control over these regions. The then Georgian president's war
was a disaster for his nation. It left 300,000 or more refugees
"cleansed" by the rebel regions, but for Ossetians and Abkhazians the
brutal plundering of the Georgian troops is the most indelible memory.
Georgians
have nursed their humiliation ever since. Although Mikheil Saakashvili
has done little for the refugees since he came to power early in 2004 -
apart from move them out of their hostels in central Tbilisi to make
way for property development - he has spent 70% of the Georgian budget
on his military. At the start of the week he decided to flex his
muscles.
Western
geopolitical commentators stick to cold war simplicities about Russia
bullying plucky little Georgia. However, anyone familiar with the
Caucasus knows that the state bleating about its victim status at the
hands of a bigger neighbour can be just as nasty to its smaller
subjects. Small nationalisms are rarely sweet-natured.
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