Comments on: Russian Legislature Recognizes Breakaway Provinces

By: Dave Schuler

Dave Schuler — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:20:53 +0000

Thanks, Steven. I'd remembered that one of them was an autonomous oblast but couldn't recall the status of the other. It thought perhaps an okrug. Thanks for the clarification.

By: Steven Taylor

Steven Taylor — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:10:10 +0000

Dave, Just for the record (and handful of us who even know what these terms meant): Abkhazi was an autonomous soviet social republic and South Ossetia was an autonomous oblast. I decided to look all of it up and posted on it here. Really, Georgia's claims on those territories is quite tenuous, even going beyond the last decade (I discuss some of it in the post linked above).

By: Dave Schuler

Dave Schuler — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:00:07 +0000

That may solve Russia's problems but it won't solve South Ossetia's economic problems. The amount of foreign direct investment that's been pouring in to George is phenomenal. Were South Ossetia integrated into Georgia in some way some of that might make its way into the region. Without that there's not a chance. The FDI issue is one I've posted about before and plan to again. Whether the recent incursion by the Russians has a chilling effect on FDI (I think it will) may determine Georgia's economic future.

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:22:56 +0000

Unless you believe that a torrent of Russian foreign aid will flood into the country it’s hard to imagine how the area is going to dig itself out of its hole on its own.

No, they're going to pull a Texas and as for admission into the Russian Federation. Independence is just a necessary step in between.

By: PD Shaw

PD Shaw — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:13:29 +0000

The viability of South Ossetia increases when its independence is tied to North Ossetia. One Ossetia to rule them all . . .

By: Ace Armstrong

Ace Armstrong — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:37:18 +0000

This vote reminds me of when Dubya and the Neocons were riding roughshod over a republican majority in the upper and lower houses of the american congress taking us to war in Iraq.
What would one think if Russia was selling military arms and sending military advisors to Mexico and encouraging them to take back the Gadsden Purchase.