While diplomats talk details, the 300 Georgian families in Dvani, a mere half-dozen kilometers from the separatist South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali, say that they live in constant fear of nightly skirmishes and looting.
This article was updated on 2/17/09 to clarify a statement by de facto Abkhaz Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba.
The United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) was given a four-month extension after weeks of concern that its mandate would be the latest victim in the diplomatic fall-out following Georgia and Russia's 2008 war.
While Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has downplayed any hint of instability in the government in Tbilisi, his spotty record with prime ministers is causing analysts to raise questions about the chain of command in Tbilisi.
Tension between Moscow and Tbilisi is spiking yet again after Georgian authorities announced that a Russian soldier from the South Ossetian conflict zone had defected to Georgia.
Inside the so-called buffer zone, a narrow strip of Georgian-controlled villages that separate Georgia proper from the breakaway territory of South Ossetia, life is finally regaining some sense of normalcy.
The United States and Georgia officially became "strategic partners" under a charter signed by the two governments on January 9. While Georgian officials are hailing the document as a guarantee of Washington's support for Tbilisi, analysts are divided on what kind of impact the agreement will actually have. Many believe the only certainty is that the pact will rile Russia.
Former Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli -- a figure better known for his business interests than for his political charisma - is launching a new political party. While Noghaideli's supporters maintain that they will modernize Georgian politics, some observers believe that his political appeal is limited.
Georgian aspirations to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization remain in a holding pattern after the military alliance offered Georgia closer cooperation, but stopped short of agreeing to a full-fledged Membership Action Plan. Some Georgian analysts believe that the lack of a cohesive message from the alliance is a bad signal for Tbilisi.
In a sharp reversal from earlier statements, Georgian officials are now playing down hopes that Georgia will receive a Membership Action Plan at the December 2-3 meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization foreign ministers in Brussels.
Seven months after her abrupt decision to leave Georgia's ruling party, former Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze has officially joined the opposition. Once a strong political ally of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, political analysts now believe she could be his biggest threat.
