WiP: Abkhazia’s Quest for International Recognition

CRRC, ARISC and American Councils are proud to present the 2nd talk of the Fall 2019 Works-in-Progress Series!

Cheque-mates? Abkhazia’s Quest for International Recognition

by Donnacha Ó Beacháin, Dublin City University

Date: September 11, 2019, at 18:30 pm
Venue: CRRC Georgia, 5 Chkhikvadze Str. (Former 5 Chavchavadze ave.), I floor.

Abkhazia’s contested status is a source of geopolitical conflict between states and alliances. But how has the campaign to expand this unrecognised state’s network of diplomatic contacts been conducted? Using a wealth of contemporary archival material made available by Wikileaks, combined with interviews with key players in the process this presentation investigates efforts to secure diplomatic recognition in the post-Soviet space, Latin America and amongst the South Pacific microstates.

Donnacha Ó Beacháin is Associate Professor at the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University where he lectures on post-Soviet politics, unrecognised states and Irish politics. His books include The Colour Revolutions in the Former Soviet Republics: Successes and Failures (with Abel Polese, Routledge, 2010), Destiny of the Soldiers: Fianna Fáil, Irish Republicanism and the IRA 1926-1973, (Gill and Macmillan 2010), Life in Post-Communist Eastern Europe After EU Membership (with Vera Sheridan and Sabina Stan, Routledge 2012), Political Communication in Ireland (with Mark O’Brien, Liverpool University Press, 2014) and From Partition to Brexit: The Irish Government and Northern Ireland (Manchester University Press, 2018).

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W-i-P is an ongoing academic discussion series based in Tbilisi, Georgia, that takes place at the CRRC office at 5 Chkhikvadze Str. It is co-organized by the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC), the American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS, and the American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC). All of the talks are free and open to the public. The purpose of the W-i-P series is to provide support and productive criticism to those researching and developing academic projects pertaining the Caucasus region.

PRIVACY POLICY: In order to assure the free and open discussion of ideas and sensitive issues, unless otherwise specified the WiP series holds to the Chatham House Rule: participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed, without the explicit permission of said speaker(s) or participant(s) in the press or other public media. Journalists may attend the sessions, but the contents are not for publication or broadcast without the explicit permission of the speaker(s). This is to enable all involved to openly discuss their views in private while allowing the topic and nature of the debate to be made public and contribute to the broader scholarly and academic conversation.