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Eastern dimension and the Balkans / Comment

Georgia and Russia: a short war with a long aftermath

22/08/2008 By Jos Boonstra

Chris Hondros/Getty Images

What started as a provoked assault by Georgia against the separatist regime of South-Ossetia quickly developed into a short though fierce armed conflict between Russia and Georgia.

The Georgians had miscalculated when they excessively attacked South Ossetia’s capital Tskhinvali while Russia took the conflict to another level by bombing and invading Georgia proper.

As developments continue to unfold regarding the implementation of a peace plan, there are a number of consequences that can be discerned from this rude awakening to war in Europe: these include consequences for Georgia and Russia, but also for the Caucasus region and in a broader context for international actors – foremost the EU and US – and international organisations, mainly NATO and the OSCE. Jos Boonstra, Fride's expert in the subject, comments on the current situation.

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Keywords

Caucasus Conflict Eastern Europe and Russia European Union Georgia International organisations NATO OSCE Peace process Russia

Bio author: Jos Boonstra

Jos Boonstra is senior researcher in the democratisation programme of FRIDE. He focusses on EU, NATO and OSCE policies in Eastern Europe and beyond with specific attention to democratisation of security and defence.