{"id":83515,"date":"2023-11-10T11:30:51","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T00:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=83515"},"modified":"2023-11-12T10:36:28","modified_gmt":"2023-11-11T23:36:28","slug":"the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/","title":{"rendered":"The enduring impacts of Russia\u2019s 2008 war on Georgia"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

When contemplating various scenarios for how the conflict with Russia might end, Ukraine\u2019s leaders can take clear lessons from Moscow\u2019s brutal military campaign against another one-time Soviet state, Georgia.<\/p>\n

The Russo-Georgian War of 2008 marked a significant moment in the geopolitical landscape of the South Caucasus, with far-reaching implications for Georgia\u2019s territorial integrity and regional stability. But, in reality, that conflict did not start in 2008. Fighting began in 1992\u201393 instigated by militia groups set up by Russia using its infamous hybrid warfare toolkit in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region\/South Ossetia.<\/p>\n

Here, I examine the impact of Russia\u2019s 2008 war on Georgia, the enduring hostilities in the region, the reasons behind Russia\u2019s continued occupation of two large chunks of Georgian territory, and how the Georgian scenario influences the decisions of Ukraine\u2019s leaders when considering a ceasefire with Russia.<\/p>\n

The Russo-Georgian War was a watershed in the post-Soviet era, reconfiguring the political landscape of the region and reshaping its dynamics. Fifteen years later, its consequences continue to reverberate, offering critical insights into the enduring complexities of international relations.<\/p>\n

The roots of the 2008 war can be traced back to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the emergence of new, independent states including Georgia. Russian meddling in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region\/South Ossetia had been ominous precursors long before 2008. These Georgian regions had historically been used first by the Soviet and then by the Russian regimes to pressure Georgia and influence its policy choices by fuelling disputes and hostilities within the country.<\/p>\n

In the immediate aftermath of the 2008 war, Georgia lost control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia, with the Kremlin recognising<\/a> these regions as \u2018independent states\u2019. That dealt a severe blow to Georgia\u2019s territorial integrity and exacerbated the humanitarian crisis that had been building since the 1990s. Hundreds of thousands people were internally displaced, predominantly Georgians subjected to ethnic cleansing.<\/p>\n

The conflict had profound and lasting consequences for Georgia. In response to the war, it pursued a path of political and economic reform while seeking closer ties with Western institutions, particularly NATO and the European Union. The unresolved conflict with Russia continues to shape Georgia\u2019s national identity, its geopolitical orientation and its domestic politics.<\/p>\n

Hostilities persist in the South Caucasus. Frequent skirmishes and tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh underscore the fragile peace in the region. Despite Azerbaijan\u2019s claimed total control of the disputed territory, tensions between these two states remain active. The unresolved conflicts in Georgia play a crucial role in these regional dynamics, influencing the behaviour of neighbouring states.<\/p>\n

Russia\u2019s continued occupation of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region\/South Ossetia serves various strategic purposes and is emblematic of its revisionist agenda in the post-Soviet era. Progressive annexation continues daily, pushing the so-called border towards the very centre of Georgia. It gives Moscow leverage over Georgia and enables Russia to project power and influence in the South Caucasus.<\/p>\n

Ukraine, another post-Soviet state, has closely watched the situation in Georgia. The 2008 war served as a stark reminder of the threat an assertive Russia poses. Ukraine had its own experience with Russian aggression, particularly in the annexation of Crimea and the ongoing conflict in the nation\u2019s east.<\/p>\n

The Georgian experience holds relevance for Ukraine when considering ceasefire negotiations with Russia. Ukrainian leaders must navigate complex terrain, balancing their commitment to preserving national sovereignty with the practical challenges of negotiating with a powerful and determined adversary. But as the conflict rages, neither side has sufficient tactical advantage to make ceasefire negotiations work.<\/p>\n

Australia is a key actor in global security issues and politics and closely monitors developments in Eastern Europe, where it\u2019s concerned about the potential spillover effects of Russian aggression and the broader implications for international security.<\/p>\n

As a distant but engaged actor, Australia sees the Ukraine crisis as an example of unprovoked aggression by a powerful country against a less powerful neighbour and notes that Russia invaded Ukraine after multiple assurances that it would not do so.<\/p>\n

Russia\u2019s 2008 war on Georgia, unresolved conflict and Russian occupation have cast long shadows. \u00a0For Australia, the current Ukraine crisis has demonstrated the need for strong networks of alliances and sufficient levels of military capability to deter potential adversaries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When contemplating various scenarios for how the conflict with Russia might end, Ukraine\u2019s leaders can take clear lessons from Moscow\u2019s brutal military campaign against another one-time Soviet state, Georgia. The Russo-Georgian War of 2008 marked …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1858,"featured_media":83517,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[769,3700,163,435,714],"class_list":["post-83515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-conflict","tag-georgia","tag-russia","tag-sovereignty","tag-ukraine"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe enduring impacts of Russia\u2019s 2008 war on Georgia | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The enduring impacts of Russia\u2019s 2008 war on Georgia | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When contemplating various scenarios for how the conflict with Russia might end, Ukraine\u2019s leaders can take clear lessons from Moscow\u2019s brutal military campaign against another one-time Soviet state, Georgia. The Russo-Georgian War of 2008 marked ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-10T00:30:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-11T23:36:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1174509981.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"647\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beqa Bochorishvili\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Beqa Bochorishvili\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\",\"name\":\"The Strategist\",\"description\":\"ASPI's analysis and commentary site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1174509981.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1174509981.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":647,\"caption\":\"TOPSHOT - South Ossetian children walk to school past a destroyed building in Tskhinvali on September 1, 2008, the traditional start of the academic year in Russia and many countries of the former Soviet Union. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on the European Union to reject \\\"NATO-centrism\\\" as EU leaders prepared to discuss the Georgia crisis at a summit. AFP PHOTO \/ VIKTOR DRACHEV (Photo by VIKTOR DRACHEV \/ AFP) (Photo by VIKTOR DRACHEV\/AFP via Getty Images)\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/\",\"name\":\"The enduring impacts of Russia\u2019s 2008 war on Georgia | The Strategist\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-10T00:30:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-11T23:36:28+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/47f4ba344f75202a2d852a2fd06fcec8\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The enduring impacts of Russia\u2019s 2008 war on Georgia\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/47f4ba344f75202a2d852a2fd06fcec8\",\"name\":\"Beqa Bochorishvili\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dae21cd18f54ec759857b2fdd8567c10?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dae21cd18f54ec759857b2fdd8567c10?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Beqa Bochorishvili\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/author\/beqa-bochorishvili\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The enduring impacts of Russia\u2019s 2008 war on Georgia | The Strategist","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The enduring impacts of Russia\u2019s 2008 war on Georgia | The Strategist","og_description":"When contemplating various scenarios for how the conflict with Russia might end, Ukraine\u2019s leaders can take clear lessons from Moscow\u2019s brutal military campaign against another one-time Soviet state, Georgia. The Russo-Georgian War of 2008 marked ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/","og_site_name":"The Strategist","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org","article_published_time":"2023-11-10T00:30:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-11-11T23:36:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":647,"url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1174509981.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Beqa Bochorishvili","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ASPI_org","twitter_site":"@ASPI_org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Beqa Bochorishvili","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/","name":"The Strategist","description":"ASPI's analysis and commentary site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1174509981.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1174509981.jpg","width":1024,"height":647,"caption":"TOPSHOT - South Ossetian children walk to school past a destroyed building in Tskhinvali on September 1, 2008, the traditional start of the academic year in Russia and many countries of the former Soviet Union. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on the European Union to reject \"NATO-centrism\" as EU leaders prepared to discuss the Georgia crisis at a summit. AFP PHOTO \/ VIKTOR DRACHEV (Photo by VIKTOR DRACHEV \/ AFP) (Photo by VIKTOR DRACHEV\/AFP via Getty Images)"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/","name":"The enduring impacts of Russia\u2019s 2008 war on Georgia | The Strategist","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2023-11-10T00:30:51+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-11T23:36:28+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/47f4ba344f75202a2d852a2fd06fcec8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-enduring-impacts-of-russias-2008-war-on-georgia\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The enduring impacts of Russia\u2019s 2008 war on Georgia"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/47f4ba344f75202a2d852a2fd06fcec8","name":"Beqa Bochorishvili","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dae21cd18f54ec759857b2fdd8567c10?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dae21cd18f54ec759857b2fdd8567c10?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Beqa Bochorishvili"},"url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/author\/beqa-bochorishvili\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83515"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1858"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83515"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83544,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83515\/revisions\/83544"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}