Conflict in the Caucasus

In August 2008, long-standing tensions in the Caucasus region came to a head when Georgia dispatched troops into the de facto independent region of South Ossetia, with a view to re-establishing Georgian sovereignty over the area. In response, Russia launched a large-scale military intervention into the state of Georgia. Their use of force went beyond the boundaries of South Ossetia, into another breakaway region, Abkhazia, and also into Georgia Proper. In this volume, world-renowned scholars address multiple dimensions of that violent conflict and its aftermath, from the use of force to human rights and from transnational litigation to the use of international law 'rhetoric'. Drawing on a range of perspectives from International Law, as well as International Relations, the book probes the key issues arising from the particulars of the 2008 conflict and explores their wider implications for an international legal order based on the rule of law. This book is indispensable reading for all interested in the Euro-Asian region, and anyone searching for concrete examples with regard to the way that international law works today when inter-state conflicts erupt.