An Embattled Enclave Yearns to be Free (and Liechtenstein)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/world/europe/29ossetia.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/world/europe/29ossetia.html
New York Times
August 28, 2008
Tskhinvali, the capital of the separatist region and self declared independent state of South Ossetia in Georgia, of the former Soviet Union, has for over the past 18 years been engaged in armed conflict with and battered by Georgian attacks. The recent signs of conflict: burned enclaves, bullet riddled trees, and strewn armor tank parts along the boulevard has not deterred Zalina Tskhovrebova, editor of the city’s largest newspaper, who “. . . allowed herself to think about the distant, wealth-drenched European principalities of Liechtenstein and Andorra, which are about the size of South Ossetia.” Russia and Nicaragua are the only two nations that have recognized South Ossetia, a region of approximately 70,000 people, and Abkhazia, another region of Georgia, as independent nations. Western leaders, however, consider the regions part of Georgia, who has declared them Russian-occupied territories.
South Ossetia has designated a building for the Russian embassy. A flag, coat of arms, and national anthem have been adopted, and a government established with a president and prime minister. Indeed, “Elionora Bedoyeva, South Ossetia’s minister for youth affairs and tourism, was preparing to once again pitch the region as an eco-tourism destination. . . . She talked about starting a ski resort[.] . . . Sochi, the wildly popular resort on the Black Sea, ‘has snow for four months a year,’ she said. ‘We have it for seven.’ With Russian aid pouring into Tskhinvali, it was beginning to take on a new aspect.”
Indeed, this regional conflict has the capacity for international overtones as the International Olympic Committee has awarded the 2014 Olympic winter games to Russia to be held in Sochi. The politics of sports will provide Russia with an opportunity to present to the international community its diplomatic leadership in a region where it retains influence, and demonstrate its economic and political revival after the breakup of the Soviet Union, especially where Georgia seeks NATO membership and entry into the European Union.
“Mr. Martynov - the director of a nonprofit group in Moscow called the International Institute for Newly Established States - said it was time for South Ossetia to shrug off of its warrior mentality and usher in a period of ‘managers and engineers.’ He said it could prove to be a model for a number of ‘states with unclear political status,’ like Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova that has also moved to reunite with Russia. One possibility would be to make it a tax haven, a strategy that has worked for Monaco, Andorra and Liechtenstein, he said.
“Why can’t Liechtenstein be here?’ he said. ‘The only difference is that they are in the center of Europe. They have the Alps. We have the Caucasus.’”
These developments provide a unique opportunity to study, learn and compare dynamics through the comparative public administration framework of international sports, its power to influence events from outside the traditional political processes, transform political processes by providing additional dimensions toward dispute resolution, and achieve, possibly, Olympic glory.
LucindoS
August 28, 2008
Tskhinvali, the capital of the separatist region and self declared independent state of South Ossetia in Georgia, of the former Soviet Union, has for over the past 18 years been engaged in armed conflict with and battered by Georgian attacks. The recent signs of conflict: burned enclaves, bullet riddled trees, and strewn armor tank parts along the boulevard has not deterred Zalina Tskhovrebova, editor of the city’s largest newspaper, who “. . . allowed herself to think about the distant, wealth-drenched European principalities of Liechtenstein and Andorra, which are about the size of South Ossetia.” Russia and Nicaragua are the only two nations that have recognized South Ossetia, a region of approximately 70,000 people, and Abkhazia, another region of Georgia, as independent nations. Western leaders, however, consider the regions part of Georgia, who has declared them Russian-occupied territories.
South Ossetia has designated a building for the Russian embassy. A flag, coat of arms, and national anthem have been adopted, and a government established with a president and prime minister. Indeed, “Elionora Bedoyeva, South Ossetia’s minister for youth affairs and tourism, was preparing to once again pitch the region as an eco-tourism destination. . . . She talked about starting a ski resort[.] . . . Sochi, the wildly popular resort on the Black Sea, ‘has snow for four months a year,’ she said. ‘We have it for seven.’ With Russian aid pouring into Tskhinvali, it was beginning to take on a new aspect.”
Indeed, this regional conflict has the capacity for international overtones as the International Olympic Committee has awarded the 2014 Olympic winter games to Russia to be held in Sochi. The politics of sports will provide Russia with an opportunity to present to the international community its diplomatic leadership in a region where it retains influence, and demonstrate its economic and political revival after the breakup of the Soviet Union, especially where Georgia seeks NATO membership and entry into the European Union.
“Mr. Martynov - the director of a nonprofit group in Moscow called the International Institute for Newly Established States - said it was time for South Ossetia to shrug off of its warrior mentality and usher in a period of ‘managers and engineers.’ He said it could prove to be a model for a number of ‘states with unclear political status,’ like Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova that has also moved to reunite with Russia. One possibility would be to make it a tax haven, a strategy that has worked for Monaco, Andorra and Liechtenstein, he said.
“Why can’t Liechtenstein be here?’ he said. ‘The only difference is that they are in the center of Europe. They have the Alps. We have the Caucasus.’”
These developments provide a unique opportunity to study, learn and compare dynamics through the comparative public administration framework of international sports, its power to influence events from outside the traditional political processes, transform political processes by providing additional dimensions toward dispute resolution, and achieve, possibly, Olympic glory.
LucindoS
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