Origin of the conflict
While the world’s eyes were focused on the opening ceremony of the Olympic games in Peking, Russian tanks rolled onto Georgian territory on the 8th of August 2008. Since then, there has been renewed media attention for the conflict that started with the Georgian independence from Russia in 1991. Whilst before never separated from Georgia, South-Ossetia and Abkhazia enjoyed an autonomous status during the Soviet period. After the Cold War, when Georgia regained its independence, both regions claimed their independence from Georgia. However, Georgia has always contested these claims, and is supported in this by most of the international community.

Actors involved
The most important actors involved in the region are Georgia, the secessionist provinces South-Ossetia and Abkhazia and Georgias’ neighbouring superpower, Russia. Also, the US and the EU have, through international organisations such as the NATO and OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe), considerable influence in Georgia. Georgias’ main argument against secession is that of territorial integrity – an important international rule which argues that the government of a state enjoys sovereignty within its own territory. As such, segregation and the meddling into a states' internal affairs by another state are acts against the territorial integrity of the first state. Since the so called ‘Roserevolution’ the unpopular former president Shevernadze has been replaced by the pro-Western Saakasjvili. Georgia is geographically positioned between Central Asia and Europe, but it considers itself mostly European. As such, it wishes to become a member of the EU. However, internal problems such as corruption, an instable economy, political mismanagement and the secessionist South-Ossetia and Abkhazia, makes it far from qualifying for candidacy. Since 1993 UNOMIG¹, UN peacekeepers, have been stationed in Georgia to see to it that the cease-fire arrangement is being respected. However, the Russian army has never left Georgia: when war broke out in 1991 the Russian soldiers fought on the side of the secessionists. After a cease-fire was arranged, they stayed on as peacekeepers. Meanwhile, the Russian government started handing out Russian passports to the South-Ossetians and Abkhazians. Russia’s justification for military intervention in August 2008 was that it was protecting Russian citizens. However, the vast majority of the South-Ossetian people has a Georgian nationality. Russia considers all ex-Soviet territory as its own backyard and believes that regional problems ought to be solved by surrounding countries.
South-Ossetia and Georgia have 200.000 citizens and 18% of the Georgian territory. In the Soviet Union they enjoyed a certain measure of autonomy, and even though Georgia has attempted to regain these provinces in 4 wars – 1991-1992, 1993, 2004, 2008 – they have managed to successfully oppose any Georgian attack. By now, they have had their own government and institutions for 17 years and as such, have been de facto² independent. Since 2008 that independence has been recognized by Russia and Nicaragua. Georgia is one of the ex-Soviet states in the Caucasus and Central-Asia who, since 1991, has actively pursued to impede Russian mingling in their internal affairs and who has sought to increase ties with the United States, to guarantee their independence from Russia. The transportation of fossil fuels to the West plays an important role in these relations³. Since May 2002 the US have delivered weapons and trained Georgian military. Also, they have supported Georgian membership of the NATO⁴ (Russia is opposed to Georgian membership). Cooperation between Georgia and the EU is mainly through the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe). EU membership is out of the question for the moment; the European Union has made it clear that Georgia will have to take care of its internal affairs first – amongst which the South-Ossetian and Abkhazian separatism.

Chronology of events
1991: End of Soviet Union and Georgian independence (Georgia’s first president is Gorbachov’s ex-foreign minister Shevernadze). South-Ossetia and Abkhazia hope to achieve independence from Georgia.
1991-1992: First South-Ossetian war (Abkhazia joins later). This was the first Georgian attempt to regain its lost provinces.
1993: Second war.
2004: Micheil Saakasjvili is democratically elected as President after the Roserevolution.
2005 September: After several incidents, Russia announces it won’t withdraw its troops until July 2006.
2008 August: What exactly happened is still unclear, but after a breach of the cease-fire arrangement Georgian troops enter South-Ossetia to which Russia responds with a large military operation.
2008 Russia recognises South-Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.

Reaction of the international community
Both the international community and international organisations condemned the Russian intervention in Georgia. Even now it appears that Georgia initially broke the cease-fire, most states consider the Russian response out of measure and irrespective of Georgian sovereignty. So is the recognition of the independence of the two provinces by Russia and Nicaragua for that matter. The US said that the Russian response had damaged their credibility as a partner and that it calls into question their aspirations in the region. Furthermore, they have reaffirmed their support for Georgian NATO membership and have promised Georgia 1 billion dollar in aid. The UN Security Council has, notwithstanding three meetings, not been able to reach an agreement on how to respond to the conflict. Nevertheless, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urged both parties to end hostilities immediately.

Present state of events
Even though initial reports announced thousands of casualties due to the Russian-Georgian violence, newest reports count several hundreds of deaths. The UNHCR says there are 192,000 displaced persons in the region. Long-term political consequences are not clear yet; for Georgia secession of the two provinces is unacceptable, whilst the South-Ossetians and Abkhazians refuse to negotiate before Georgia has recognised their independence. The relations between Russia and the West have slightly improved and possibly a peace treaty can be reached through EU-Russian relations.

1 The mandate of the UNOMIG can be found on their website: www.unomig.org 
2 De facto is an expression that means 'in practice'.
3 De BTC pipelline or Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan leiding (named after the (capital) cities which it passes). 
4 http://www.nrc.nl/buitenland/article1972069.ece/VS_Georgie_op_termijn_zeker_lid_van_NAVO (Dutch newspaper artictle)