When Russia tried to dictate their choice of president, Abkhaz voters picked his rival.

ECONOMIST: Georgia, Abkhazia and Russia

And if they want to preserve their sense of identity, the Abkhaz must do their bit too.

ECONOMIST: Georgia, Abkhazia and Russia

When it was delivered to the Abkhaz, they refused to touch it.

ECONOMIST: Georgia, Abkhazia and Russia

In the circumstances, it is hardly surprising that Mr Saakashvili's latest peace plan, offering Abkhazia unlimited autonomy, was dismissed as propaganda by the Abkhaz.

ECONOMIST: Georgia, Abkhazia and Russia

Over the years the Abkhaz authorities allowed up to 45, 000 people to return to the Gali region, which had been almost exclusively inhabited by ethnic Georgians.

ECONOMIST: Georgia is resettling some, but not all, refugees

"The Abkhaz people almost disappeared before the war, " he says.

NPR: Conflict Brewing Over Breakaway Georgian Province