The current pause in hostilities in Georgia's separatist-minded region of South Ossetia may prove temporary. A shake-up of the Georgian military establishment carried out by President Mikheil Saakashvili is just one indication that Tbilisi remains intent on restoring its authority in South Ossetia.
As a tenuous ceasefire remains in effect in Georgia's separatist region of South Ossetia, the war of words between Tbilisi and Moscow is escalating. Russian leaders are accusing Georgia of stoking conflict, while prominent politicians in Tbilisi say the country must "get ready to repel Russian aggression."
A relative degree of calm may have returned to South Ossetia in recent weeks, but the ongoing rumblings from both Tbilisi and Moscow only emphasize the need for a new mechanism to hold the peace in this remote region.
While still emphasizing a desire for dialogue, President Mikheil Saakashvili has warned that any outbreak of armed conflict in South Ossetia could bring Georgia into direct confrontation with Russia.
After an alleged attack by South Ossetian forces on Georgian peacekeepers, hopes are rapidly dying in Tbilisi and Moscow for a peaceful reconciliation over the status of the breakaway territory.
As Tskhinvali announces its withdrawal from the international commission charged with monitoring the peace in South Ossetia, tensions are again escalating with Georgia over the demand that a South Ossetian soldier who wounded an ethnic Georgian be extradited to Georgia for prosecution.
Against the backdrop of warming Georgian-Russian relations, South Ossetian leaders are struggling to resist the pressure being exerted on the separatist region by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Many observers in Tbilisi believe that popular support for South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoyev is shaky.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is wielding a stick and extending a carrot to the separatist region of South Ossetia. Georgian leaders say their actions are driven by a determination to eradicate smuggling and corruption.
A recent purge of South Ossetia's leadership creates new opportunities and challenges for Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze's administration, as Tbilisi tries to reach a political settlement with the renegade region.
