Conflict Brewing over Breakaway Georgian Province

[ckramer]

Source: npr

Russia and its pro-Western neighbor Georgia are teetering on the edge of a military conflict over Georgia's separatist province, Abkhazia. Moscow is providing economic support to the tiny province, and a bitter standoff over Abkaz independence is pitting Russia against the West.

Abkhazia seems like it should be a paradise: A prime holiday destination under the Soviet Union, the thin strip of lush, subtropical land lies where the snow-capped Caucasus Mountains descend into the warm Black Sea. But amid its palm trees, Abkhazia is a surreal land of ruined buildings, deserted villages and a population suffering from a 15-year economic blockade.

At the border with the rest of Georgia, a dilapidated horse-drawn cart ferries a handful of people over the murky Inguri River. Bored-looking, blue-helmeted Russian soldiers look on. The Russians have been in the province as peacekeepers since 1994, when Abkhazia split from Georgia after a bloody civil war.

But Georgia accuses the Russians of siding with Abkhazia. The self-styled republic is officially recognized by no one, but Moscow has kept it alive with economic support — and has issued most residents Russian passports.

Read more: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90649873

---

I hope this is not the beginning of WWIII.

[Turbineguy]

1. When the struggle takes on a life of its own.

Thanks for posting!