Trapped Between War and Peace

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The tragedy is that the Georgians and the Abkhaz are not as far away from a political settlement as their hostility might suggest. Georgia is willing to offer the Abkhaz what they had under the Soviet Union: autonomy within Georgia. And in the past, the Abkhaz have seemed able to stomach a confederation. In practice, either would give the Abkhaz political control of their homeland. But increasingly, the Abkhaz have become inclined to hold out for full independence. "The Georgian and Abkhaz positions are actually very close," says Liviu Bota, the U.N.'s Special Representative in Georgia. "But the final steps are not being taken."

So the status quo prevails, but serves neither the displaced Georgians nor the blockaded Abkhaz. The Russians, who have a peacekeeping force of 1,200 along the cease-fire line and maintain military bases in Abkhazia and Georgia, are often accused of manipulating the conflict for their own ends. "Russia uses Abkhazia as a tool with which to influence Georgia," explains Giorgi Burduli, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia. As long as the Georgians and Abkhaz are unable to resolve their own differences, the Russians will wield influence in this corner of the Caucasus, too--and Abkhazia will remain just another war-torn paradise.