The Eurocentric: South Ossetia’s Misled Desire For Independence From Georgia
Borisenkov Andrei
While it shares the same name with a U.S. state, Georgia is a republic in the Caucus mountains. Formerly part of the Soviet Union, the nation unfortunately has two frozen conflicts that have existed since the 1990s. South Ossetia and Abkhazia are two breakaway regions of Georgia that claim they are independent, yet Georgia maintains both are autonomous regions within the nation. Recent news from South Ossetia shows discussions are taking place for the region to become a region of Russia, which would be a serious mistake. Georgia has proved that it is a nation that has been rapidly developing and evolving, while Russia is stuck in the past with the dream of recreating the Soviet Union. This is not hard to believe given Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine and secret documents that detailed plans for Russia to gain influence and control Moldova and Belarus. Not only South Ossetia, but Abkhazia also needs to realize that they are better off within Georgia as autonomous regions rather than becoming part of Russia or becoming independent nations.
Georgia’s Rapid Economic Growth
For those unfamiliar with Georgia, it is important to highlight the nation’s recent progress. Georgia’s GDP per capita this year is expected to be around $8,500 USD, double the GDP per Capita the nation had just four years ago. The World Bank also confirms that Georgia has experienced quicker economic growth than other middle-income nations. This is in part due to efforts by the Georgian government to reform and fight corruption along with opening the nation to foreign direct investment. Georgia also simplified taxes, making the nation even more business-friendly. Simultaneously, Georgia introduced a pension system in 2006 to help fight poverty among the elderly. Georgia’s efforts have led to decreases in extreme poverty and increases in life expectancy. The nation must continue to prioritize increasing productivity and combating dollarization, which leaves the economy vulnerable due to potential changes in the exchange rate.
The Writing On The Wall
South Ossetia must also look at the reality of the situation. While Republics within Russia are seeking their independence, South Ossetia is running towards Russia. When South Ossetia and Abkhazia first started to seek independence from Georgia after Georgia declared its independence from the Soviet Union, the nation was starkly different from today. Georgia was impoverished in the 1990s when the Soviet Union was collapsing yet now it has a promising future. The situation in Georgia declined so much that the nation was almost considered a failed state in 2003. In late November of that year, however, the Rose Revolution took place, and the government became dedicated to liberalizing the economy. While Russia was and still is slightly better off than Georgia economically, wealth is largely concentrated in Moscow and St. Petersburg while many of the ethnic republics are impoverished. The nation also appears unwilling to reform as Vladimir Putin appears to refuse to even allow legitimate opposition candidates to run against him. South Ossetia already uses the Russian Ruble and depends on Russians for tourism and financial support.
In 2018, Russia passed legislation to crack down on minority languages. This legislation limits the amount of time when minority languages can be taught in schools in the Russian republics. This is a significant reversal in language policies of schools which Russia previously left to the republics to decide. The people of South Ossetia must truly ask themselves what sense it makes to become part of Russia. If preserving the Ossetian language is considered important by South Ossetia, becoming a republic within Russia is unlikely to help achieve this goal. South Ossetia must be prepared to be part of Russia where President Vladimir Putin is known to change his mind and citizens must accept his decisions due to a lack of democracy. While South Ossetia is a small region within Georgia and the residents of the region are a small ethnic minority, they would have even less ability to influence politics within Russia.
Accusations Of Genocide in South Ossetia
While there are numerous reasons that explain why South Ossetia should remain within Georgia, Georgia needs to acknowledge why South Ossetia desires to become part of Russia. Between 1918 and 1921, Georgia fought a war against South Ossetia. The conflict has been described as a genocide committed by Georgia against South Ossetia, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Ossetia discusses it on its website. Despite occurring over a century ago, it is understandably still difficult for people to forget these actions. Currently, there appears to be disagreement over whether the actions taken by the Georgian army count as genocide. Abkhazia recognized these actions as genocide in 2006, yet given their status as a breakaway region, this recognition may be a result of this rather than the evidence available. Simultaneously, South Ossetians must consider whether their situation will be better within Russia. Russia fought not one but two wars against Chechnya to prevent the republic from becoming independent of Russia. Once it becomes part of Russia, South Ossetia will not be able to back out if the region decides it made a terrible mistake. Russia has also been sending ethnic minorities to the front-line in Ukraine so men in South Ossetia better be prepared to die for their new nation if the region does become part of Russia. In 2008, the Duma (Russian Parliament) passed a resolution denying the genocidal famine in Ukraine known as the Holodomor.
While Georgia’s actions a century ago are inexcusable, the reality is that Georgia is a nation that continues to improve as Russia continues to take steps backward. As Georgia is motivated to keep South Ossetia within Georgia, South Ossetia needs to realize that it can use this desire to negotiate regional autonomy to ensure that the Ossetian culture and language are protected within Georgia. It is up to Georgia to prove to South Ossetia that it is willing to admit wrongdoing and that South Ossetia can prosper within Georgia rather than Russia. Even though the reasons why South Ossetia should remain in Georgia are numerous, Georgia must push for dialogue with South Ossetia to take a more proactive approach. It is clear that South Ossetia is cautious due to the past and is struggling to understand what the best path for the region is moving forward into the future.
Simultaneously, Georgia will rightfully not accept all responsibility for the disagreements between itself and South Ossetia. In 2008, there was a brief war fought between Georgia, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia with Russia playing a role as well. Once again, South Ossetia attempted to accuse Georgia of genocide, yet an extensive report from the European Union which included over a thousand pages of research concluded that Georgia did not commit genocide. Russia’s allegations of Georgia slaughtering 2,000 civilians in South Ossetia are not backed up by the evidence and the civilian death toll is estimated to be 162 civilians.
Georgia’s Imperfections
Georgia, however, still has its own flaws, meaning South Ossetia must make a choice regarding whether it prefers the flaws of Georgia or Russia. Recently, the government passed legislation regarding foreign agents. The Georgian government is concerned about foreign donors gaining influence in the nation, essentially acting as foreign agents and interfering in the national affairs of Georgia. The problem for the government is that many citizens are concerned that the new law will be harmful rather than helpful and restrict freedom within the nation. The language of the legislation appears to resemble Russian legislation. Any organization that receives 20 percent or more or of its funding from abroad will need to register with the national government as ‘agents of foreign interests’. The Georgian government should be concerned that while the European Union and the United States are critical of it, the Kremlin defends it.
As Russia has become an enemy of Georgia over its support of South Ossetia and Abkhazia declaring independence from Georgia, Georgia should be concerned that the West is against this legislation while its foe is supportive. Part of the issue comes from the Georgian Dream party's alignment with Russia rather than the West, making them more likely to support the legislation. Similar to when the first legislation was introduced, citizens have made it clear they are not supportive of the legislation. Georgia cannot afford to make errors such as proposing this legislation as this controversy can cast doubt in the minds of people in the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia about the potential of their regions within Georgia. Georgia has a parliamentary election later this year which will serve as a test of whether the nation continues to elect Moscow-aligned Georgian Dream officials. Part of the issue with the political parties that make up the political opposition is that they fail to provide an enticing vision for the future, leaving voters in a difficult position.
Conclusion
Rather than making a decision based on logic, South Ossetia appears to remain stubborn and insistent that it should not be part of Georgia. When we compare Georgia to Russia however, the two nations appear to be headed on two very different trajectories. While Georgia moves towards democracy and economic growth, Russia remains stuck in its ways, yearning for a return to the Soviet Union. South Ossetia must decide whether it desires to move into the future or remain blocked in the smoldering embers of the past. While Georgia moves towards the EU and is already a candidate country, Russia continues to isolate itself for the sake of fighting a deadly war that primarily sacrifices soldiers who are ethnic minorities. While it may be difficult for South Ossetia to reconcile with Georgia over the past, this is by far the best option as Russia remains authoritarian and refuses to acknowledge its wrongdoings.
