TOPIC OF THE WEEK: A cynic's view on Abkhazia's Black Friday

CAUCASUS / CENTRAL ASIA - Report 22 Nov 2024 by Ivan Tchakarov

The breakaway Republic of Abkhazia, which is internationally recognized as part of Georgia, got its 15 minutes of fame last Friday when protesters stormed government buildings in Sukhumi in opposition to an investment agreement that would have legalized Russian investments and ownership of land and property.

While there have been attempts at analyzing these events in a geopolitical context, including because of recent allegations of a possible mega-deal between Russia and Georgia whereby Abkhazia (and South Ossetia) are re-integrated into Georgia, the more natural and logical explanation lies in the economic undercurrents of the protests. The primary reason for the series of regular "coups" in Abkhazia in the last 20 years or so has simply been the fight over control of Russian financial aid. One clan comes, sits on the Russian budget, gets rich, then another hungry group comes around to claim its share of the spoils. There are no politics in the classical sense in Abkhazia, but only clannishness without any ideology. There are also little geopolitics as Abkhazia has no other options than Moscow, at least for the time being.

The essence of Abkhazia's policy (and politics) is to build independence from Russia for Russia's money.

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