De facto states - states that have failed to win international recognition - have long been understudied 'blank spots,' overlooked in academic literature and on maps. However, they play critical and contentious roles in international politics: Since the end of the Cold War, de facto states have been involved in a disproportionately large number of violent conflicts, resulting in their establishment, change of status, or elimination.

In this episode of the NUPI podcast 'The World Stage', we turn our attention to Abkhazia, a de facto state in Southern Caucasus at the eastern coast of the Black Sea, and focus on its efforts to secure diplomatic ties in the post-Soviet space and beyond, as well as its relationship with its patron state, Russia. 

Episode host is Tamta Gelashvili (NUPI and University of Oslo). Guests are Donnacha Ó Beacháin (Professor at the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University) and Pål Kolstø (Professor at the Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages at the University of Oslo).