Can Kosovo be a Precedent for South Ossetia and Abkhazia: Recognizing Differences in Dynamics of Recognition

The issue of whether the recognition of Kosovo as an independent state might serve as a precedent for former autonomous republics of Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia has been often debated. This paper aims at comparing the processes of recognition of these three entities. It illustrates that the international community has been gradually recognizing Kosovo as a State while South Ossetia/Abkhazia have been subjected to the policy of non-recognition. It argues that because the dynamics of recognition of Kosovo and South Ossetia/Abkhazia have been very different, it is less likely that the establishment of Kosovo as a viable state will serve as a precedent for South Ossetia/Abkhazia. Although the secession of Kosovo from FRY and of South Ossetia/Abkhazia from Georgia has been studied in many respects, the character of the recognition process of the three entities has hardly been compared. But the question arises - is it at all worthwhile to compare who have recognized Kosovo and South Ossetia/Abkhazia and if so, what could we learn from such comparison?