On August 8, as athletes marched into the National Stadium in Beijing to celebrate the Olympic opening ceremony, Georgian troops marched into South Ossetia and oc-capied Tskhinvali, the breakaway region"s capital. The government offensive left thousands dead, injured or displaced, en-tangled Russian peacekeepers stationed in South Ossetia, and finally triggered a mili-tary conflict with neighboring Russia. The relationship among Russia, Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia--another breakaway region--is so fractious because it concerns Georgia"s sovereignty and Russia"s strategic security. Complicating the situation are ques-tions about regional stability, ties between superpowers and international law.Thus it will be difficult to find a solution within a short period.