South Ossetia

Strachan 2013, p. 275 (the examples provided are Russia in South Ossetia in 2008, Israel in Gaza in 2008-2009, and the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2001 and 2003 ). 

There is new movement in the discussion about self-determination and statehood. The contested declaration of independence by Kosovo will soon be subjected to review by the International Court of Justice. Russia s recognition of the purported independence of Abkhasia and South Ossetia has caused additional controversy. These developments may well put an end to the attempt by governments to keep in place the highly restricted doctrine of self-determination that has only been made available in the colonial context. 

These include further tribes in Burma and India, settlements for Corsica, Cyprus, Kosovo, Abkhasia, South Ossetia, Transdniestria, Nagorno-Karabakh, Western Sudan (Darfur), Sri Lanka and Thailand. One might also include the settiement plan for Western Sahara, although this is the last remaining major outstanding case of colonial self-determination, alongside the special case of Palestine. 

Of course, in that instance, it was principally Russia that had precluded the establishment of an agreement providing for the full inclusion of Abkhasia and South Ossetia within the Georgian political system. Georgia had offered detailed provisions on representation for both territories by way of wide-ranging autonomy. " In view of Russia s obstruction of an autonomy settlement, it was spurious to refer to the lack of representation of the two territories in the overall Georgian state. 

A few months before Russia s recognition of Abkhasia and South Ossetia, the Council ... 

The events in Georgia, of course, were preceded by their own protracted history of settlement attempts. Before the armed action of 2008, both South Ossetia and Abkhasia maintained themselves as quasi-independent states under the cover of Russian peacekeeping forces. As opposed to Transdniestria, however, the territories border Russia directly. The UN Security Gouncil had firmly committed itself to the maintenance of the territorial integrity and unity of Georgia. Indeed, as late as April 2008, the Council had restated that commitment in a resolution. 

In fact, in the wake of armed actions in South Ossetia in August 2008, Russia significantly increased its troop presence in that... 

The BTC pipeline passes within 40 km of the frozen conflict of Nagomo-Karabagk (between Azerbaijan and Armenia) within 60 km of the frozen conflict of South Ossetia (between Georgia and Russia) and through north-eastern Turkey, which is an area of ongoing conflict between the Turkish state and Kurdish forces. 

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