Civil Society and Conflict Transformation in De Facto States: The Case of Abkhazia
'Loneliness by the sea', Sukhum, Abkhazia.
By Tomáš Hoch, Vincenc Kopeček, and Vladimír Baar
Department of Human Geography and Regional Development, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
Problems of Post-Communism, 64:6. Pages 329-341 | Published online: 25 Jul 2016.
De facto states are considered to be highly specific entities, thus meriting a detailed analysis of how conflict transformation functions within such states and what role is played in them by civil society organizations (CSOs), which are traditionally considered one of the key actors in conflict transformation. The authors discuss the factors that limit the activities of these CSOs as a result of the restricted sovereignty of de facto states. The study is based on three field research projects focusing on CSOs in Abkhazia, carried out in 2009, 2014, and 2015.
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