Abkhazia's Attempt to Invent Itself

Russia may have officially recognized Abkhazia, but the separatist Georgian province is still illegitimate in the eyes of the rest of the world. The tiny state's politically strategic location makes it a potential source of conflict between East and West. What happens when a nation tries to invent itself?

"You can write what you wish. But," says the prime minister, "please don't laugh at us." Alexander Ankvab fills the cognac glasses. "To freedom!" he says, raising his glass.

A few weeks earlier, a bazooka was fired at the Abkhazian leader's official car. He had probably stepped on someone's toes, says Ankvab. "It was the fourth attack, but I'm still alive. And Abkhazia is still alive, right?"

Ankvab is the prime minister of a country where the cities have names like Pzyb, Gwylrypzh and Gyazhrypzh, and that -- "so far!" as he notes -- only has diplomatic relations with Russia and Nicaragua. And the Gaza Strip, although that doesn't count at the moment.

The only international organization in which this country is represented is the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), a global association of idealized republics and liberated zones, ethnic minorities and phantom states.

Ankvab's staff members refer to him as "Anthony Hopkins," because he bears a resemblance to the British actor. But he isn't acting when it comes to running Abkhazia. He is serious when he says: "Abkhazia could become a sort of Monaco in 10 years. No investor is worried about our status. Singapore recently wanted to buy up everything, hotels, the airport, the beaches. That was a little too fast for us."