The war between Russia and Georgia caught most of the world by surprise but it is a conflict that has long been brewing – and one that is part of a larger drama. The bigger context is Russia's attempt to regain the influence it enjoyed during the years of the Cold War, and the hurdles that stand in the way of projecting its identity as a unified, sovereign nation.
West Finds It Hard to Believe Russia's Version of the Conflict's Origin
Published August 20, 2008
Excerpt translated by Elena Kristalinski
US President George Bush considers Russia's actions towards Georgia "absolutely unacceptable". In Bush's opinion, Russia has to act decisively to put an end to the crisis, and repair the damage that was inflicted on Russia's relations with the neighboring countries, European Union and USA. Independent Polish journalist Zigmund Dzincholovsky, who happened to be in Tbilisi during the military standoff, compared how the events in the Caucasus were viewed by the different countries.
Obviously, it's a very long story, and first we'll be following the route of the diplomatic negotiations. But, it seems to me that Russia has a very clear position. It realizes that there are certain aspects that it will not give up. It seems that Georgia has unavoidably lost Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The question is – how will life continue in Georgia itself, what impacts will it have on Georgia's government, will Michail Saakashvili be able to keep his power? All these questions are very interesting, but for better or for worse, we will not get the answers any time soon.
Last year openDemocracy Russia editor Zygmunt Dzieciolowski travelled in Georgia and Abkhazia.
I'm not sure I can recommend the Abkhazian house wine that gets served in the bars and restaurants of Sukhumi.
Grantee
Zygmunt is a Polish born journalist, writer and documentary film director.
For the last twenty years his main interests have been Russia and other post soviet republics. He took up journalism in...
