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Georgia v South Ossetia: from conflict to war

By Ivan Simic - posted Tuesday, 19 August 2008


In August 2007, a new conflict occurred: the Georgian missile incident. This time the incident was between Georgia and Russia. The Georgian government said that two Russian fighter jets violated its airspace and fired a missile, which fell on the edge of a village of Tsitelubani, near the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone, but did not explode. Russia denied this allegation and said that Georgia may have fired the missile on their own territory as a way of provoking tensions in the region.

This Georgia-Russia incident is not an isolated issue, there were several crises, incidents and accusations in the past, including: the 2004 Adjara crisis, the 2006 North Ossetia sabotages, the 2006 Russian ban of Moldovan and Georgian wines, the 2006 Kodori crisis, the 2006 Georgian-Russian espionage controversy and the March 2007 Georgia helicopter attack incident.

On August 1, 2008, after two months of continuous fighting between Georgia and South Ossetia, the South Ossetia war between Georgia, Russia, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia began.

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On August 8, following several days of heavy fighting between Georgian army and South Ossetian militants, in which about 1,500 civilians, 15 Russian peacekeepers, and dozens of South Ossetian militants were killed, Russia responded by moving its troops across the Georgian border, bringing tanks and artillery into South Ossetia.

According to Russian officials, their main aim was to defend Russian citizens in South Ossetia, and force the Georgian government to accept peace and restore the status quo. Russian officials also stated that its army was acting within its peacekeeping mission in South Ossetia, and in line with the mandate issued by the international community. Tbilisi also stated that it was now responding to Russia's aggression.

On August 9 conflict between Russia and Georgia escalated and, on August 10, Georgian troops retreated from the capital of South Ossetia.

In relation to the current situation in Georgia, the international community has issued many statements: In general, it is calling for all parties to respect International Law, and for an immediate end to the armed clashes and resumption of direct talks. In New York, at Russia's request, an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council was held, but failed to reach an agreement on immediately halting of fighting.

Both Georgia and Russia traded counter-accusations. Georgia accused Russia of invading by land, air, and sea, while Russia accused Georgia of genocide against South Ossetians.

According to the latest development there are some pertinent questions that should be asked; these include:

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  • Will the United States seize the opportunity afforded by the current situation in Georgia as an excuse to invade Iran? By the way, Iran is in the neighbourhood.
  • Will the NATO and the EU intervene, and how?
  • Will Russia use the Kosovo situation as an example for South Ossetia?
  • Is this war likely to be the foundation of larger Euro-Asian conflicts?

It is still not quite clear what will happen next; however one thing is obvious, no country will again dare to use military force against Russia, especially not in isolation.

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About the Author

Ivan Simic is an political analyst and author based in Belgrade, Serbia. For the past decade, He has worked in various fields, including: business, diplomacy, and government. He has written many articles and critiques or supported theories concerning global issues and international relations. Currently, He is pursuing diplomatic carrier on international level.

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