Serbia, Georgia, and their Breakaway Regions: Examining the Socio-political Mirror Imagery

The author examines various aspects of historical and socio-po­li­tical developments in Georgia and Serbia with specific emphasis on their breakaway regions (Abkhazia and Kosovo, respectively). It is argued that Tbilisi and Belgrade have been facing some similar issues and dilemmas, which are correlated with their historical experiences, coupled with significant exposure to damaging external inf­lu­ences and shifting trends in international politics and law. Major parallels (and to a lesser degree, dissimilarities) are analyzed through historical and comparative met­hods, with additional contributions from political science theories and practice, while also bearing in mind that analogies cannot be made in absolute, but rather, relative terms. The author deploys the ambiguous “mirror image” concept to point out the interpenetration between these similarities and dissimilarities, that have ultimately resulted in certain comparable outcomes, not only regarding the unfavorable situation in the seceded regions but also, in the context of the two nations’ recent stra­te­gic paths.