Abkhazia

Abkhazia and South Ossetia: Second-Order Effects of the Russia-Ukraine War

The Russian invasion of Ukraine sent ripples through the Caucasus, where frozen conflicts linger in Georgia and its breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which have been controlled and…

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Diaspora Politics on Abkhazia: Involved in Half Capacity

(De Facto States blog) President Aslan Bzhania had an important meeting with his counterpart Vladimir Putin on November 12, 2020. With the ongoing global pandemic and subsequent collapse of the…

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Russia’s policy in the “frozen conflicts” of the post-soviet space: from ethno-politics to geopolitics

(Caucasus Survey) Abstract: The article analyzes the evolution of Russia’s policy in secessionist conflicts in the post-Soviet space in 1991–2018. The authors differentiate the patterns of Russian policy between the…

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Why the International Community Should Be More Accommodating to De Facto States

(PONARS Policy Memo) De facto states are notorious for their pariah status, constant security deficit, and embryonic institutions, producing the perception that they are states-in-the-making perpetually striving for sheer survival. Their…

The Do-or-Die Dilemma Facing Post-Soviet De Facto States

(PONARS Policy Memo) De facto states operate against unfavorable international legal conditions, combined with manifest security threats and widespread political disengagement from the international community. Moreover, they are affected by a…

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How the West Should Respond to Russia’s “Borderization” in Georgia

(PONARS Policy Memo) Russia’s swift achievement of its political objectives in Crimea while firing hardly a shot generated much debate about the use and effectiveness of “hybrid warfare.” Although the term…

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Scrutinizing a Policy of “Engagement Without Recognition”: US Requests for Diplomatic Actions With De Facto States

Abstract: De facto states are conventionally perceived as illegal entities, usually ignored by the rest of the world and therefore also isolated and severely sanctioned in most cases. We investigate US…

The Security Costs and Benefits of Non-State Militias: The Example of Eastern Ukraine

Non-state (or “informal”) militias play crucial roles on both sides of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. They serve as force multipliers and, in some cases, provide plausible deniability for brutality.…

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New Policy Memo: Was the West’s Engagement with Abkhazia Doomed to Fail?

Over the last five years, Abkhazia has received more international attention than ever before in its over two decades of de facto statehood. In 2009 the West launched an engagement…

Was the West’s Engagement with Abkhazia Doomed to Fail?

Over the last five years, Abkhazia has received more international attention than ever before in its over two decades of de facto statehood. In 2009 the West launched an engagement…

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Abkhazia and South Ossetia: Second-Order Effects of the Russia-Ukraine War

Diaspora Politics on Abkhazia: Involved in Half Capacity

Russia’s policy in the “frozen conflicts” of the post-soviet space: from ethno-politics to geopolitics

Why the International Community Should Be More Accommodating to De Facto States

The Do-or-Die Dilemma Facing Post-Soviet De Facto States

How the West Should Respond to Russia’s “Borderization” in Georgia

Scrutinizing a Policy of “Engagement Without Recognition”: US Requests for Diplomatic Actions With De Facto States

The Security Costs and Benefits of Non-State Militias: The Example of Eastern Ukraine

New Policy Memo: Was the West’s Engagement with Abkhazia Doomed to Fail?

Was the West’s Engagement with Abkhazia Doomed to Fail?