Building identities in post-Soviet “de facto states”: cultural and political icons in Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, Transdniestria, and Abkhazia

2020 ◽  
pp. 127-151
Author(s):  
John O’Loughlin ◽  
Vladimir Kolosov
Keyword(s):  
South Ossetia ◽  
De Facto States

scholarly journals Il sostegno esterno ufficiale agli stati de facto nel Caucaso del sud

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Comai
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Pension Funds ◽  
The Political ◽  
The South ◽  
South Caucasus ◽  
South Ossetia ◽  
De Facto States ◽  
International Status

De facto states in the South Caucasus are supported by a patron: Russia in the case of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Armenia in the case of Nagorno Karabakh. In spite of the contested international status of these territories, assistance to de facto states is often fully formalised, and relevant details are included in budget laws as well as documents issued by pension funds. This article presents relevant data and sources, and highlights the importance of taking them in consideration to inform analyses on the political economy of these territories, as well as to develop policies of engagement.

The diplomacy of post-Soviet de facto states: ontological security under stigma

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 563-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Pacher
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Foreign Relations ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Ontological Security ◽  
South Ossetia ◽  
Social Affiliations ◽  
De Facto States ◽  
Normal States ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Diplomatic Relationship

Why do post-Soviet de facto states (such as Abkhazia and South Ossetia) regularly interact with remote Pacific islands or Latin American countries, even though they are not bound by any meaningful political, economic or military ties? This article argues that the diplomatic relationship management amounts to a strategy of external legitimacy-building through stigma rejection and ontological security-attainment. This diplomatic practice creates positively tinged social affiliations, whereby the unrecognized entities aim to have their identity as ‘normal’ states affirmed. It renders the international society’s stigma ineffective, thus facilitating a potential exit from the stigma. By illuminating the performative aspects behind the de facto states’ quest for recognition, this article uncovers the de facto states’ agency and analytically emancipates them from the structural factor of ‘Russia-as-a-great-power’. It also contributes to the literature of ontological security by highlighting how positive (rather than conflictual) relationships, and how transformed (rather than stable) identities can be conducive to its attainment. This article generally highlights the need to analyse de facto states’ foreign relations more holistically than previously done.

De Facto State Foreign Policy “Social Moves” in Abkhazia and South Ossetia

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-205
Author(s):  
Mary Elizabeth Smith
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
International Community ◽  
The South ◽  
Independent State ◽  
South Ossetia ◽  
New Strategy ◽  
De Facto States ◽  
Foreign Ministry ◽  
Formal Recognition

This paper presents “social moves” as a new strategy de facto states can use in their interactions with the international community, with or without the possibility of a formal recognition of sovereignty. Special attention is paid to Abkhazia’s continuing desire for an independent state compared to South Ossetia’s desire for Russian absorption in light of both regions’ ethnic histories and turbulent relationships with Georgia. Key analysis includes discussion of the diplomatic soft power “social moves” the Abkhazian Foreign Ministry has begun in the last two years and the absence of similar “social moves” within the South Ossetian Foreign Ministry.

scholarly journals Russia’s Neighborhood Policy and Its Eurasian Client States: No Autocracy Export

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-62
Author(s):  
Pål Kolstø ◽  
Helge Blakkisrud
Keyword(s):  
Regime Change ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
South Ossetia ◽  
De Facto States

Do authoritarian regimes engage in active export of their political systems? Or are they primarily concerned about their geopolitical interests? This article explores these questions by examining Russia’s policy towards Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Transnistria. In all three de facto states, Moscow is fully able to dictate election outcomes should it desire to, but, we argue, has increasingly refrained from doing so. These client states are unlikely to attempt to escape from Russia’s tutelage; and with its geopolitical interests fully ensured, Russia appears willing to grant them latitude. We then ask whether these findings can be extrapolated to serve as a template for understanding Russia’s policy towards its client states more generally, discussing Moscow’s reactions to attempted regime change in Armenia and Belarus.

Formation of de facto states in Abkhazia and South Ossetia

2019 ◽  
pp. 86-108
Author(s):  
Tomáš Hoch ◽  
Emil Aslan Souleimanov
Keyword(s):  
South Ossetia ◽  
De Facto States

scholarly journals De facto states and their socio-economic structures in the post-Soviet space after the annexation of Crimea

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 267-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimír Baar ◽  
Barbara Baarová
Keyword(s):  
Trade Agreement ◽  
South Ossetia ◽  
Economic Problems ◽  
Eurasian Economic Union ◽  
Economic Strategies ◽  
Soviet Space ◽  
De Facto States ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Post Soviet Space

The paper is focused on the economic problems of de facto states in the post-Soviet space after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, creation of the Eurasian Economic Union in 2015 and the signing of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Georgia and Moldova with effect from 2016. It analyzes long-term economic strategies of Transnistria, Nagorno-Artsakh, South Ossetia-Alania and Abkhazia in the context of such changes. On the basis of statistical  analyzes their economic problems, which are closely connected with developments in Russia and its geopolitical interests.

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