Wretchard:
“Russia is welcome to South Ossetia. Even the Georgians have apparently given that up. ”
————

There are several possible resolutions to this problem.

One possible resolution would be that Georgia completely gives up South Ossetia, which unite with North Ossetia as an independent country or as a culturally autonomous republic of the Russian Federation. I think that the Ossetians themselves might prefer the latter variant.

A second possible resolution is that the Georgians would offer the Ossetians satisfactory guarantees of cultural autonomy within Georgia. The guarantee would include: 1) government financial support for schools, mass media and cultural institutions (libraries, festivals, etc.) in the Ossetian language, 2) legal rights to conduct personal legal business in the Ossetian language (certifications, registration, lawsuits, trials, etc.), 3) local legislatures that conduct their debates and business in the Ossetian language, 4) police forces that are manned with locally propotionate ethnic personnel, 5) legal abilities to limit immigration of Georgians into the area, 6) easy cultural communication and exchange between South and North Ossetia, and 7) Georgian enforcement of a “political correctness” discouraging insults and denigration of Ossetians. In return, all Ossetian children must study the Georgian language throughout their schooling.

It is likely that the Georgians have burned the bridges to that second resolution, but they still can try to persuade the Ossetians to stay. The Georgians still can argue to the Ossetians that South Ossetia is part of the Georgian geographic region, that it include a large Georgian population, that it has been primarily a participant in Georgian history, and that the Georgians have long experience in the governmental administration of Ossetia.

One factor that makes reconciliation possible is that the Russian language is a common language spoken fluently by absolutely all educated citizens who are middle-aged and older and at least functionally by the rest of the citizens. As a practical matter, any Ossetian in Georgia who has a serious problem can deal with it if he speaks Russian.

And one other factor that makes reconciliation and staying possible is the Russian military presence, which might still help control the social developments and prevent extremism in a beneficial manner. This is a factor that Georgia itself should recognize and appreciate. If Georgia wants to hold onto South Ossetia, it must relearn how to play nicely with the Russians.