L'Équation géorgienne - Deux Siècles de rapports ambigus entre la Russie et la Géorgie

On the 8th of July 2008, while the whole world watches the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing, Georgian troupes take position in Tskhinvali, capital of South-Ossetia, a small republic on Georgian territory, north of the capital Tbilisi that has proclaimed itself independent (and is being supported in doing so by Russia). Two days later, the Russian aviation bombards Georgian positions, "liberates" Ossetia, occupies the strategic town of Gory and sends its tanks to Tbilisi. The Russian troupes also walk onto the territory of the second self-proclaimed republic, Abkhazia, in the North-West of Georgia, declaring to liberate and bring peace as well. The Georgian army is defeated. Immediately after, Russia unilaterally acknowledges the independence of Abkhazia and South-Ossetia. Has the Cold War started again ? This 52 minutes film will illustrate the ambiguous relations that Georgia and Russia have maintained for more than two centuries, thus providing the historical background helping to understand what happened in August 2008. But it will also look at the new strategic position of the country since the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a 27-nation-Europe, thus helping to grasp the future stakes of the present situation, and how it might develop in the months and years to come