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18 LBJ J. Pub. Aff. 27 (2005-2007)
Russian Power Brokering, Peacemaking, and Meddling in the Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict

handle is hein.journals/lbjalopua18 and id is 125 raw text is: RUSSIAN POWER BROKERING, PEACEMAKING, AND MEDDLING IN THE GEORGIAN-ABKHAZ CONFLICT HE SOUTHERN CAUCASUS REGION in central Asia is no- toriously volatile, and when the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1990 released once-protected republics, the stage was set for the emergence of power struggles aimed at redrawing national boundaries based on ethnicity. Georgia was one of the first to face a threat to its territorial integrity. In 1992, the tiny, semi-autonomous Georgian republic of Abkhazia declared independence, claiming the right to self-determination of its Abkhaz population. One month later, a contingent of Georgian National Guard troops sparked a civil war when they rolled into Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, to reassert power. The fight- ing lasted two years, with brief intermissions of Russian-brokered ceasefires. It left at least 3,000 people dead and as many as 25,000 to 30,000 wounded.' Between 200,000 and 250,000 people, mostly ethnic Georgians, fled. In May 1994, the warring parties signed the last in a series of ceasefires mediated by Moscow. The truce, called the Mos- cow Agreement, created a security zone patrolled by international peacekeepers to separate the belligerents. The buffer marks a de facto border. Very little has changed since 1994. Russia played a central role in the conflict. It participated in the initial stages of the war on behalf of the Abkhazis, and it later took on the role of conflict mediator. In fact, evidence indicates that Rus- sia used the conflict, and even exacerbated it, to retain influence over Georgia and to coerce Georgian leaders to join the Commonwealth BY STEPHANIE FAIN Stephanie Fain is completing a master's degree at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Texas Tech University, where she earned a B.A. in French and history and received a Ro- tary Ambassadorial Scholarship to study at the Univeristy of Grenoble in France. After graduation, she taught English in Japan and worked for the Texas State Senate Journal. Her policy interests include foreign affairs, development and aid issues, international trade, and conflict resolution. She thanks Dr. Alan Ku- perman for his guidance in develop- ing this paper. LBJ JOURNAL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

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