Georgia's breakaway regions?

Question

Place help me understand the impications of letting go of the breakaway regions over in Georgia? It has to with more than presendence, right?

Answer 1

Without taking sides... There are may places in the world where geographic borders and ethnic borders don't line up.  In the past, strong leaders forced these ethnic groups together and kept the peace. When the strong central government fell (in this case, the Soviet Union) many of these ethnically distinct areas began to agitate for autonomy. The argument is whether those groups should be able to split off and take their land with them, or whether the land should remain part of their host countries.  There is a process for dealing with this in the UN, but it is lengthy and controversial. It appears the Georgians and the Russians decided they didn't want to wait any longer.