The crisis of August 2008 and the unilateral recognition of the breakaway regions by Moscow changed the “topography” of the conflicts in Georgia. All the mechanisms on which the fragile peace process relied were dismantled.
With the withdrawal of the United Nations Observer Mission in Abkhazia (UNOMIG) and the immediate transformation of the CIS Blue Helmets into a regular Russian army reinforced with additional weapons and personnel, international observer and “peacekeeping” mandates have virtually ceased. The interests of the parties to the conflict remained largely the same, although their situation changed. In general, the prospect of resolving the conflict has deteriorated considerably.
The war, which, like Ronald Asmus, is considered to have “shaken the world”, resonated outside of Georgia and the region. It is widely believed that no clear winner was found in this war, since in varying doses, but neither side was able to fully satisfy its own interests. The interests of the West have also been violated, the essence of which is, first and foremost, the maintenance of peace and stability. Eventually, a virtual “new reality” was formed, which created new paradigms both at home and abroad.