Moving Borders

Abstract

The establishment of country’s borders is both a political and a legal determination. The brief Russian–Georgian War of 2008 not only suspended diplomatic relations between the two countries but also caused international confusion about the definitive border between them. In 2012, with the help of creative Swiss diplomatic activity, a breakthrough took place that allowed the Russian Federation to finally become a member of the World Trade Organization. This article will examine how five years after a major conflict that left hundreds if not thousands of casualties and the declared independence of two separatist regions from Georgia, the Russian Federation and Georgia were able to agree on a border between the two countries for customs while still not agreeing on the definitive border between them.