After August 2008: consequences of the Russian-Georgian war
Date: 2008
Title: After August 2008: consequences of the Russian-Georgian war
Authors: independent experts and analysts of the CIPDD, Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN) and BTKK – Policy Research Group
Donor and project: The paper was published with the financial support of the Think Tank Fund of the Open Society Institute – Budapest.
Languages: English, Georgian
Pages: 53(English), 59 (Georgian)
© CIPDD
Contents:
The Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development has decided to inform the ongoing debates on the consequences of the war in August 2008 by onducting and publishing a preliminary study. It is still too early to carry out a conclusive analysis of the causes and results of the recent war in Georgia, especially as the process is not over yet, but CIPDD’s contribution at this stage will prove of value, if only because the discussion has just begun in Georgia. Our goal was to create a Georgian analytical product on the Russian-Georgian war to inform both international and domestic Georgian discussions. A work group was created on the Caucasus Institute’s initiative. Although every effort has been made to take into account the original interviews and results of academic research, due to time pressures the main source of nformation has been the media. The present analysis includes three main parts: 1. political analysis 2. economic analysis 3. environmental analysis
Key recommendations are provided in bullet form at the end of each chapter.
(1) The political part reviews developments in the international arena and domestic political events in key countries involved in the conflict. We analyze possible consequences of the war for Georgia, for countries of the region, and for the international order. Key recommendations are provided at the end of the chapter.
(2) The economic part deals with the damage which was caused both to the country’s infrastructure and to the country’s economy. Potential direct and indirect damage is analyzed sector-by-sector.
(3) The environmental part was added to the study because of the large extent of damage that was caused to Georgian ecosystems by Russian forces. Forest fires, oil spills in the Black Sea and other ecological calamities are the results of intentional actions by Russian forces and call for appropriate legal action.
The study is accompanied by a timeline of events, which clearly demonstrates how the situation escalated in Abkhazia and South Ossetia from February 2008 onwards.
Maps of Russia’s invasion of Georgia and of damage to the environment are attached to this document.
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