Programs: Spotlight, 16 September, 2008

South Ossetia and Abkhazia: what is next?

Robert Legvold, professor of political science, Columbia University

1940 - Born in New York
1967 - Graduates, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
1967 - Receives his PhD, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
1978 - Director of soviet studies, Council on Foreign Relations, New York
1984 - Associate Director, Harriman Institute
1986 - Director, Harriman Institute
2004 – Marshal D. Shulman professor of political science, Columbia University

George Hewitt, professor of Caucasian languages, University of London

1949 - Born in England
1972 - Graduates, Cambridge University
1979 - Studies Caucasian languages, Tbilisi University
1981 - Lecturer in linguistics, Hull University, England
1982 - Receives his PhD in linguistics, Cambridge University
1988 - Lecturer, School of Oriental and African Studies
1996 - Professor of Caucasian languages, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
1997 - Fellow, British Academy

Today we will talk about the consequences August’s South Ossetia conflict. Following the bloody and ill-fated attempt by Georgia to capture South Ossetia, Russia grudgingly recognised the independence of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia, thus satisfying the long-standing aspiration of these two nations. What does this recognition mean for these peoples and for their international relations? We’ll discuss these questions with two professors: Robert Legvold, a Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, and George Hewitt of the University of London.