Abkhazia - Country of the Soul


Without taking any side in the on going political conflict in the city of Sukhumi, in the province of Abkhazia which is part of the Republic of Georgia I can now say that I am from, and people react with a sad grimace of understanding. It is almost comical, that the question I am asked by most is “Do you still have family over there?” No I don’t have family there, but I have many friends. That usually warrants a sigh of relief, like that makes it ok, or the problem is less important. “Well the good thing is, you are here and safe” is the next typical conclusion that sometimes makes me want to scream. I am not in a war zone, and there is no chance of me being deployed to one, but I am not safe. I can be robbed or killed in a car wreck, or become a victim to a crime as much as the next guy.

The latest developments gave some refugees from the former Soviet Union, an excuse to trash countries of their birth and political leaders with unsubstantiated, far fetched and conflicting claims. This is not surprising after all in a situation rightfully labeled an “information war.” I spend a lot more time watching the news and reading political articles then usual. I am used to reading between the lines, and dissuading propaganda, and yet I am unable to find the impartial view an accurate account of what happened the week of the Olympics. Yet, without a proper investigation, and evaluation of the facts, not only those familiar with the situation, but people from average Jo’s to Country leaders take sides, and make statements, that have long lasting effects on human lives.

To many in America and Western Europe the conflict in Georgia is a sudden annoyance that introduced the Caucuses to the world. To me it is a “frozen conflict” that started centuries before I was born, and that forced my family to leave my homeland 17 years ago. The so called “brake away regions” have been de facto countries since 1992 and have survived this previously undeclared war for the duration of their existence. The international community and its closest neighbors have stayed silent and almost uninvolved, in the hope of new leaders capable to resolve the issues within. Those leaders have not emerged, and the one’s that did, can not possibly be called “the hope of a young democracy” as they have been portrayed. In the past decade I have read numerous articles, and seen TV reports of the independent RTVI (Russian TV international) about the corruption in Georgia, about the exiled, assassinated, and otherwise removed political opponents, about Nationalistic and elitist statements made by the Georgian leadership. Those reports do not get Air-Time on the American News Canals. From watching the news in two languages from the variety of sources I can see Three different masks worn by president Saakashvili- one for Georgians, one for Americans and one for Russians. Meanwhile the people of Georgia are paid in humanitarian aid and smuggled in Turkish good for their participation in political process. I will never forget a conversation on the Sukhumi buss in 1991, where students confessed to receiving money for new winter boots for a “hunger strike” in support of Zviad Gamsachurdia- Georgia’s first president. The claim to fame of that political leader was the slogan “Georgia for Georgian” which was instrumental in fostering hatred that led to the events in question. Only time will tell what is the true face of the “Emerging Democracy”.

Today most people in the region and many refugees to Russia, Europe and US will fall in the same boat. They remember wonderful times, when people of many nationalities lived, as a family. They will state that people’s lives are exchangeable in the political games of power, territory and resources. They will tell stories of how the other side- in this case Georgians, Abkhazians, performed acts of cruelty and violence against the members of their family. Give and account of lost houses and priceless possessions, accompanied by the personal stories of exotics from the war zone. Let me point out that Russia has managed to stay neutral until the Air strike on Tschenvali, Osssetia. Russia’s official involvement was limited to a small contingency of peace keepers, and to giving Russian Citizenship to those who could prove ethnically Russian origin.

Both Abkhazia and South Ossetia have asked to be separated from Georgia reputedly, both during Soviet era and after it’s collapse. Numerous referendums have shown that the citizens of those countries are tired of genocide and ethnic discrimination. Georgia’s declares those referendums invalid and calls for all refugees to return to the conflict territories. If that was possible for the Ossetian Georgians to do so, they would be coming back to destroyed property, and haltered from Ossetians. The Georgian villages destroyed were not only homes to civilian population, but also a safe haven to military snipers shooting at Russian peace keeping outposts. As for the immigrants of twenty or more nationalities from Abkhazia - most of them are quite comfortable at the moment in their lives in Russia, Germany or the US, and will not take action with anything more then passionate but, empty words.

The more I listen to ignorant, unrealistic, nationalistic, and pompoms statements from all sides, the less faith I have in the speedy resolution of the problem. And regardless of my less then flattering opinion about the Russian leaders and their policies, the more faith I have in their decision to intervene. As a witness to the war of 91-93 I have reason to believe, that many more lives would have been lost otherwise. And as unpopular as that may sound, principals become secondary, when lives can be spared. This is especially true, when principals were already ill used to justify an attack on a sleeping city of civilians.

When the dust really settles the international community will discover the full complexity of the problem at hand and the need to define the rather vague international law that makes it possible for both sides to be essentially right in their actions. The line between the “Sovereignty of a Nation” and the right of a nation to fight for it’s independence though democratic and internationally accepted ways is very thin. It is also impossible to find a nation that has no vested interest in one or the other outcome of the current conflict. The worse thing to do in this situation is to point figures. The fact that finger pointing occurred, and the informational war is still going on, has escalated the problem even further. J.K.R.’s Harry Potter comes to mind, specifically the scene in the Ministry of Magic came at an impasse. If the Ministry (the government of the wizard world) has the control over the Dementors,( soul-sucking fiends who guard the wizard prison) what were they doing attacking an underage wizard? If the Ministry didn’t sanction the attack, then it doesn’t have control over the Dementors.

Prime Minister Putin has stated that US is arming Georgian Troops, and accused the Republican Party of its involvement in the conflict. I find it heard to believe that the current presidential race is directly involved, yet I have seen the CNN footage and a number of reports on Russian News canals zeroing in on the American made military ammunition of Georgian troupes.

For those that don’t believe that Georgia’s leaders are playing and “informational warfare” let me give you a small personal account. For about a week I have lost communication with a number of former classmates, and acquaintances that happened to be Georgian. Most of the Russian Language web sites generated in Georgia are still down. You can follow the links from the "my past" section of my web page to make sure of that fact. Starting from 1990 I was noticing a shift not only in the political and religious convictions, but in personalities of our former Georgian neighbors and friends... Today, some of the people we have known for years seem like they are "under the imperious curse." For those of you who are not a J.K.R, fan- let me say, that they repeat and defend the Nationalistic and quite backward government line, as if in a trance.

I have asked a number of Georgian acquaintances, and strangers on the “odnoklassniki.ru” blog to send me some information, corroborating their position. I was repeatedly given articles written in a tabloid language of yellow press. Statements of the media were often very offensive and bias. Those articles gave a number of true facts which were manipulated and supported by events that are most likely fiction. Sometimes those statements were generated by Russian Opposition, which in the eyes of some should give them more credibility. Yet when I ask them about the Georgian Opposition, and some of the more rational statements from those in the Georgian Parliament, who call for the investigation of the first hours of this war, I ether get silence, or a feeble attempt at discrediting them.

So, I am left with many questions. Who needed this conflict? Why would new Russian President 100 days in office, who had an agenda of proving himself more liberal then his predecessor start a war, while the world’s attention is elsewhere? Why would a country be held to a different set of standards then the rest, only on the basis of its size? Every country in the former Soviet block had the same eighteen years to reestablish itself. So, why would a country be held to a different set of standards then the rest, only on the basis of its size? European Nations decided to unite into a union to promote economy and travel; their efforts are met with applause and encouragement. Why is it then, that when Russia makes effort to do the same with its neighbors, and former countermen her efforts to reestablish the ties that existed for centuries before are views as the effort to “reestablish an empire?”

As much as I tried to remain a poet and a writer of children’s literature and fiction without getting involved with political process, I find myself personally drawn in. Even though am forever grateful for the opportunities that America has granted me, today I stand with Abkhazia and Ossetia as independent countries. I hope that in due course the international community will see that recognition of those countries is the only solution that can spare the lives of those that had nowhere to run. As many other political refugees I hope that the forced attention to this problem will bring about a resolution of this conflict and will allow us all to return home. Despite of it all I believe that the former classmates of about twenty nationalities will be able to return to the “Country of the Soul” as Abkhazian’s call my home, if not for good, then at least for a summer vocation.

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