Conflict between Georgia and Russia about republics of South Ossetia Essay

Conflict between Georgia and Russia about republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia (2008) - Essay Example Political explanations of the conflict usually revolve around communism while ethnicity is viewed as a cause which was naturally gratified by widespread disparities and as a natural culmination of communist repression. Moreover, it could also be argued that ethnicity as an underlying cause of the conflict is justifiable or understandable considering the existence of such groups in large numbers. Heterogeneity is viewed by some as a driving force behind widespread dissatisfaction among the public that fuelled the desire to demand a separate state. The premises that gave rise to the ethnic and cultural differences can further be attributed to the Soviet political system which rather than diffusing the causes of the conflict, in fact, ended up fuelling it further. Research suggests that historically, ethnic conflicts have lasted longer and was more frequent as compared to conflicts or wars caused due to other reasons. Furthermore, it is also established through research, which ethnically motivated conflicts are rarely solved through peaceful negotiations and usually needs to be resolved through use of military power ending in victory of either side (King 1997, p.13)1. However, the explanations to the Georgian South Ossetian conflict cannot be restricted to any one particular point of view such as ethnicity or suppression during the Soviet Union. It is in fact a result of amalgamation of various complex phenomena. The 1989 Census estimated the population of South Ossetia as 66.61% Ossetians, 29.44% Georgians and the remaining 4% as a combination of Russians, Jews and Armenians. The Ossetians accounted for 74% of the population in Tskhinvali – the administrative state of South Ossetia while the rest of the population comprised of Georgians and other groups of miscellaneous ethnicities. However, the composition of the population underwent drastic change since the onset of the conflict which led to mass migration towards the Northern Ossetian regions as