The Russo-Georgian War of 2008 and International Law

This article focuses on international law issues relating to the Russo-Georgian war, with analysis of two in-depth sources relating to the normative aspects of the war, of which one is official and the other journalistic. The first is the so-called Tagliavini Report. The European Union established and funded the Independent International Fact-finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia, lead by Swiss diplomat Heidi Tagliavini. The Tagliavini mission compiled a report on the mechanisms leading to the outbreak of the war and violations of international law committed during the war. The other main source is the recently published polemic book “A Little War that Shook the World” authored by former US diplomat and current think tank member Ronald Asmus. The article focuses on key issues relating to jus ad bellum discussed in these sources. The author also analyses what we should expect from international law generally, and the international law lessons to be learned from the Russo-Georgian war.