Conflict between Georgia and Russia about republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia - Essay Example

SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS
The Georgian South Ossetian ethnic conflict that arose in Eastern Europe, after the collapse of the Soviet Regime, and the pro-Western ideologies that followed led to a major transformation in the region and hence have been studied extensively by scholars and researchers alike. Owing to such conflict the Soviet Union is believed to have restrained the national and ethnic concerns and disparities of the people that further led to a suppression of their national identities. The causes of the conflict can be understood from political as well as ethnic perspectives. Political explanations of the conflict usually revolve around communism while ethnicity is viewed as a cause that was naturally gratified by widespread disparities and as a natural culmination of communist repression.

Moreover, it could also be argued that ethnicity as an underlying cause of the conflict is justifiable or understandable considering the existence of such groups in large numbers. Heterogeneity is viewed by some as a driving force behind widespread dissatisfaction among the public that fuelled the desire to demand a separate state. The premises that gave rise to the ethnic and cultural differences can further be attributed to the Soviet political system which rather than diffusing the causes of the conflict, in fact, ended up fuelling it further. Research suggests that historically, ethnic conflicts have lasted longer and been more frequent as compared to conflicts or wars caused due to other reasons. Furthermore, it is also established through research, which ethnically motivated conflicts are rarely solved through peaceful negotiations and usually need to be resolved through the use of military power ending in the victory of either side (King 1997, p.13). However, the explanations to the Georgian South Ossetian conflict cannot be restricted to any one particular point of view such as ethnicity or suppression during the Soviet Union. It is in fact a result of the amalgamation of various complex phenomena.

FACTS & FIGURES
The 1989 Census estimated the population of South Ossetia as 66.61% Ossetians, 29.44% Georgians, and the remaining 4% as a combination of Russians, Jews, and Armenians. The Ossetians accounted for 74% of the population in Tskhinvali – the administrative state of South Ossetia while the rest of the population comprised of Georgians and other groups of miscellaneous ethnicities. However, the composition of the population underwent drastic change since the onset of the conflict which led to mass migration towards the Northern Ossetian regions as well as deaths.
In terms of religion both, Ossetians and Georgians follow orthodox Christianity with subtle hints of paganism in both groups. The Georgians and the Ossetians differ greatly in terms of the use of language. According to Fuller (1991), approximately 14% of Ossetians living in the South Ossetian province speak Georgian however; Russian is widely spoken throughout the region.


Map depicting regions of ethnic tensions in Georgia


According to statistics, approximately 60,000 Ossetians are believed to have been displaced from Georgia who has yet not regained the losses caused to them on account of the war, even after thirteen years. According to the 1989 census, the number of Ossetians who lived in Georgia during the pre-war period was 164, 055 of which 97, 658 are left in the post-war period.