George Hewitt

George Hewitt’s “Discordant Neighbours: A Reassessment of the Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-South Ossetian Conflicts” is the most authoritative account of the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, especially since the ‘Five-Day War’ in August 2008.

In this book Hewitt takes aim at many of the myths propagated by Georgia and its Western allies that Abkhazia and South Ossetia are Russian ‘puppets’, that Russia and its so-called ‘puppets’ started the war in 2008, that Georgians were/are the victims of ethnic cleansing in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, etc. Indeed, Hewitt argues that the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia are largely the creation of Georgia’s own chauvinistic policies against the country’s non-Kartvelian minorities, including Abkhaz, Ossetian, Armenian, Azeri, etc. Hewitt draws many parallels between the chauvinistic policies of post-Soviet Georgia and the current conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and those of Menshevik-controlled Georgia in the early 1920s.

What makes this book so impressive is Hewitt’s wealth of knowledge. As a specialist in Caucasian languages, with a Ph.D. in linguistics, Hewitt is fluent in Georgian, Abkhaz, and other Caucasian languages, making it possible for him to use sources otherwise unavailable to Western scholars. Moreover, Hewitt has lived in Abkhazia, is an honorary professor at Abkhazian State University, and has interviewed several important actors in Abkhazia, such as Vladislaw Ardzinba (first President of Abkhazia), as well as (I think) Sergei Bagapsh (second President of Abkhazia), and Stanislav Lakoba (former Secretary of the Security Council in Abkhazia, Professor of Archeology, Ethnology and History at the Abkhazian State University, and a distant relative of Nestor Lakoba). Hewitt’s knowledge and close relationship with Abkhazia has even earned him the wrath of Georgian leaders.

After reading this book, I think Stalin was well justified in highlighting the danger of local nationalism in the USSR, especially that of Georgia.… (més)

Abkhazia is, depending on who you talk to, an area in western Georgia (the nation, not the US state), or an independent country. It was the Soviet Riveira, Stalin's favorite holiday spot and home to one of the shortest rivers in the world. So, it more than qualifies for a scholarly tome.

The Abkhazians has different scholars covering the history (ancient and modern), geography, geology, metallurgy and so on of the region. The biggest issue I had was the extreme difference in quality of some of the entries, as well as the fact that all the "the"s in the book (or at least my electronic version) are shown as "die", of which I don't whether that's some odd error that crept into The Abkhazians or whether it was a subliminal ploy to harass Georgians.… (més)

Lots of information, but not entirely trustable: In case you are not already familiar with Abkhazia, let me give a very brief summary of its current situation. Abkhazia (or Abkhazeti to Georgians, or Apsny to its current government) is a small region in northwest Georgia, which was an autonomous republic (meaning only that the titular nationality had its culture promoted and benefited from a Soviet form of affirmative action) within Georgia during Soviet times. After Georgia broke away from the Soviet Union, Abkhazia managed (with some Russian help) to break away from Georgia following a war in 1992-1993 that was accompanied by ethnic cleansing and the flight of most of the ethnic Georgians in the region (200,000-250,000, or almost half of Abkhazia's 1989 population). Abkhazia has managed to maintain de facto independence ever since, though it has not been recognized by any other nation.

In this volume, Hewitt, a professor of Caucasian languages at the University of London, presents 16 essays on Abkhazia (in English), mostly written by Abkhazians themselves. These essays cover the geography, history, economy, language, culture, religion and demography of Abkhazia and thus form a very valuable source of information on Abkhazia for English speakers.

Unfortunately, because all of the material comes from Abkhazians or supporters of the Abkhazian side in the current conflict, I can't consider the information they present (especially that relating to twentieth-century history) entirely trustworthy. I recently wrote a long research paper on this conflict and found myself pulling my hair out trying to deal with the conflicting claims made by the two sides on a large number of issues. The allegations of ethnic cleansing and genocide made by both sides, as well as the issue of Russia's involvement in Abkhazia and the continuing refugee crisis, all serve to create and perpetuate a great deal of tension and conflict between the two sides (as can be seen by glancing through the reviews below). By (openly and unapologetically) backing one side in such a divisive and complicated conflict, Hewitt has done his readers a disservice. He has made it hard to fully trust the information the book contains and has made it more difficult for readers to really understand the Georgia-Abkhazia conflict.

That said, if you're interested in learning about the former (and possibly future) "Georgian Riviera", you will find a lot of information in this volume. It's up to you to decide how much to trust it. If you are seriously interested in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict, you will definitely need to check out additional sources. I would suggest starting with some volumes edited by Bruno Coppieters (et al.) of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB): "Georgians and Abkhazians: the search for a Peace Settlement" and "Federal practice: exploring alternatives for Georgia and Abkhazia", both of which are available online on the VUB Web site. Both of these volumes are in English and include both Georgian and Abkhazian (as well as third-party) contributors.… (més)