12. Georgia: A New Dividing Line

The UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) was established in 1993 to monitor ceasefire and facilitate dialogue between the Government of Georgia and its breakaway province of Abkhazia. Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence in 2008 exacerbated the increasingly volatile international and local context of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict. On 7–8 August 2008 Georgia undertook a military action in South Ossetia, its another breakaway province. Georgia’s military action was met with force by Russia and the situation threatened peace and stability in the entire region. Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states and ended the mandate of UNOMIG. Georgia considered Abkhazia’s and South Ossetia’s declarations of independence illegal. The chapter argues that Ban Ki-moon’s role had only a marginal impact on the events.