South Ossetia Today

{
  "authors": [
    "Thomas de Waal"
  ],
  "type": "other",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Carnegie Europe"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "Europe’s Eastern Neighborhood"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Europe",
  "programAffiliation": "EP",
  "programs": [
    "Europe"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Russia",
    "Eastern Europe",
    "Caucasus",
    "Georgia",
    "Iran"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Security"
  ]
}

Other

Carnegie Europe

South Ossetia Today

South Ossetia has all but disappeared from international view since the Georgia-Russia conflict of 2008 and is now being used by Moscow to pressure Tbilisi and channel funds to the breakaway Donbas regions.

By Thomas de Waal

Published on Jun 11, 2019

Source: CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN POLICY STUDIES

The modern history of South Ossetia is a tragic one in which a generally peaceful region was first dragged into an unnecessary war with Georgia in the 1990s, then became the centre of the Georgian-Russian conflict of 2008. Since then it has been granted what has been described as “unwanted independence,” which in practice means isolation, economic depression and de facto Russian military annexation. On a personal level, this isolation hurts Ossetians as much or even more than Georgians. Many mixed Georgian-Ossetian families have been divided. The South Ossetian economy has withered, deprived of its traditional economic links with neighbouring Georgian towns.

Read Full Text

This publication was prepared within the framework of the CEPS-led 3DCFTAs project, enabled by financial support from Sweden. To download the publication, please consult the following link.

About the Author

Thomas de Waal

Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe

Thomas de Waal is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, specializing in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.

Recent Work

Commentary
A Black Sea Truce Is About Global Food Security, Too
- Thomas de Waal
Article
Managing Montreux: Turkey and the Russia-Ukraine War in the Black Sea
- Thomas de Waal

Security Russia Eastern Europe Caucasus Georgia Iran

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Stalled at the Front, Russia Seeks to Undermine Ukraine’s Economic Capacity
Russian strikes are weakening the economy sustaining Ukraine’s war effort. Closing the growing funding gap will require more European support and politically contentious reforms in Kyiv.
Balázs Jarábik
Book
The Scramble for Europe. Russia, China, and Turkey Challenging Regional Order
Europe is facing rising populism internally as well as external pressures from Russia, China, Turkey, and the United States.
Dimitar Bechev
Commentary
Strategic Europe
How the EU’s Single Market Could Unlock Enlargement
Much has been said of the changes Brussels is trying to make to the EU enlargement process. Here’s why gradual integration might—or might not—be the answer.
Dimitar Bechev
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Russian Indoctrination in Occupied Ukrainian Schools Is a Sham
Despite a new textbook, an influx of Russian teachers and managers, and an end to the teaching of Ukrainian, the Kremlin is unlikely to have “reprogrammed” locals.
Konstantin Skorkin
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Who Is Funding Russia’s War in the 2027 Budget?
For every ruble allocated to social policy, health, and education in 2027, double that amount is earmarked for the army, the police, and the security services.
Alexandra Prokopenko

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Stalled at the Front, Russia Seeks to Undermine Ukraine’s Economic Capacity

Russian strikes are weakening the economy sustaining Ukraine’s war effort. Closing the growing funding gap will require more European support and politically contentious reforms in Kyiv.

Balázs Jarábik

Book

The Scramble for Europe. Russia, China, and Turkey Challenging Regional Order

Europe is facing rising populism internally as well as external pressures from Russia, China, Turkey, and the United States.

Dimitar Bechev

Commentary

Strategic Europe

How the EU’s Single Market Could Unlock Enlargement

Much has been said of the changes Brussels is trying to make to the EU enlargement process. Here’s why gradual integration might—or might not—be the answer.

Dimitar Bechev

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Russian Indoctrination in Occupied Ukrainian Schools Is a Sham

Despite a new textbook, an influx of Russian teachers and managers, and an end to the teaching of Ukrainian, the Kremlin is unlikely to have “reprogrammed” locals.

Konstantin Skorkin

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Who Is Funding Russia’s War in the 2027 Budget?

For every ruble allocated to social policy, health, and education in 2027, double that amount is earmarked for the army, the police, and the security services.

Alexandra Prokopenko