Abstract
The chapter deals with the problem of territorial integrity of Georgia, particularly two adjusted regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Today, 20% of Georgian territory is occupied. After the Russian-Georgian War in 2008, things changed radically to the detriment of Georgia's national interests, in particular, the occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia by Russia, their recognition as independent states, and ethnic cleansing of Georgians by disregarding the fundamental principles of international law. All these are known to the international community, and it became visible to the whole world. The issues are in the field of permanent national interests of Georgia. Under such situation, it became necessary to search for new ways of conflict resolution based only upon real politics.
TopLiterature Review
The Little Book of Conflict Transformation by John Paul Lederach (2014) demonstrates the main concepts in the fields of conflict transformation and peacebuilding. The author prefers to focus on conflict resolution in the peacebuilding process and presents it as a period of long-term transformations from armed conflicts to peace. He considers the establishment of healthy relations between the opposing parties as the starting point for the conflict transformation. John Paul Lederach argues by the transformational peacebuilding theory that especially the majority of ethnic conflicts cannot be finally resolved unless a divided society by conflict changes its approach to the conflict itself and develops confidence and willingness to establish peace with the other side.
The book - A Modern History of Hong Kong edited by Steve Tsang (2004) explores the history of Hong Kong, from its occupation by Great Britain in 1841 to its return to the People’s Republic of China in 1997. The paper covers all aspects of establishing modern Hong Kong as a special administrative region.
Shota Malashkhia in his book Conflict Anatomy (2011) examines almost all-important conflicts in Eurasia, by paying special attention to the conflict regions of Georgia. The book covers the content and history of almost all conflicts in the modern world, which is an important source for researchers interested in the issue.
Another valuable work is The Post-conflict Reconstruction through State and Nation-building: The Case of Bosnia and Herzegovina by J. Marko (2005). The article gives a clear analysis of the Dayton Peace Agreement as a Political Compromise, problems of the Implementation of the Dayton Agreement; the roles of the high representative and the constitutional court, and other important issues about the Case of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Peacebuilding: A long-term process for a lasting peace that aims to identify the causes of conflict, resolve it, and prevent future conflicts.
European Union: Economic and political union of 27 European states.
Real Politics: Pragmatic policy based on practical goals.
South Ossetia and Abkhazia: Two breakaway regions of Georgia. Their aspiration is independence and has received recognition from Russia, but Georgia and the International Community, unconditionally, consider regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as official parts of Georgia that are under Russian occupation.
Constitution: The fundamental principles and the highest laws of a state, which determine the powers and duties of the government structures and guarantee human rights.
Sovereignty: The right of the state to full self-government, the independence of the state.
International Law: The international system of treaties and agreements between states that regulates nations’ relations.
Ethnic Conflict: Controversies between two or more ethnic groups. The reason for the conflict may be political, social, economic, or religious issues.
Dayton Peace Agreement: It is a peace agreement, which ended the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995.