© Columbia University Press
Under Siege: Inter-Ethnic Relations in De Facto Abkhazia
December, 2009
Cloth, 160 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-70130-3
$50.00
Located in the northeastern corner of the Black Sea, Abkhazia was once part of Georgia but broke away from the country after the fall of the Soviet Republic. For fifteen years the region functioned as a de facto independent, though internationally unrecognized, state, until August of 2008, when the short war over South Ossetia (another breakaway territory) ended in Russia's recognition of Abkhazian and South Ossetian sovereignty. With the exception of Nicaragua, however, no other state has recognized the two breakaway republics.
Therefore, though few might be familiar with the political and economic mechanics of this small, post-Soviet country, Abkhazia has become a crucial component of Russia's struggle to redefine its global influence and a major player in its geopolitical battle with the West. Under Siege clarifies Abkhazia's ethno-political dynamics, which have played a major role in the country's state-building efforts and have come to shape the conditions under which the country's many ethnic communities live. Abkhazians, Armenians, Georgians, and Russians all call Abkhazia home, and this volume explores the effect of the government's de facto status on these groups' idea of nationhood and how continuing tensions between Georgia, Abkhazia, and Russia fail to improve the socio-political situation of the region. The book also investigates the conflict between human rights, minority protections, and Abkhazia's state building project.