Conflict between the Georgian government and Ossetian separatists has plagued the region known today as South Ossetia since the early 1990s. At times this conflict has erupted into all-out warfare. At other times it has lapsed into “frozen conflict” status. In this paper I will seek to explain the dominant characteristics of the South Ossetian conflict and offer possible approaches to resolve this conflict. In order to do so, I will first place this conflict in context by providing some general information about the conflict zone, and also by providing a brief history of the conflict. Then, I will examine the conflicts causes. After that, I will analyse the positions, interests and needs of the major participants in the conflict. Following this analysis I will then offer some general observations regarding the resolution of the South Ossetian conflict, and finally provide a number of tailored recommendations for resolving this conflict.
