As for Abkhazia, yes I agree that it's time to set a time line for Russian troops to leave the region and reintegrate Abkhazia into Georgia. ==
Problem is that abkhasians don't want to go to Georgia. They fought with them. Remember?
Georgians acnn't find even 10 abkhasians who may fight on thier side.
It's ridiculous to fight Islamic separatism in Chechnya and throughout North Caucasus while supporting another kind of separatism in the neighboring country. ==
Different situation. Russia found quite the number of chechens who fight vakhabit islamists there. It is not a fight about separatism anymore. It is fight about secular chechens vs islamist chechen. Like in Iraq.
However, internationally recognized borders must be respected no matter how they came to be.==
No matter that Abkhazia was given to Georgia by Stalin? You respect Stalin' installed borders?
OK, RusIvan--what do you suggest ? Start redrawing the borders because they were drawn originally by Stalin ? How about challenging the borders installed by Ivan Grozny (the terrible) Peter the Great Ivan III (The Great) Than what would be left of Russia--Moscow province -:))) ?