Implications of Triadic Competition between Georgia and Russia for Abkhazia’s State Building Development

Abstract The de facto state literature rarely distinguishes between institutional developments that have been actively promoted by external actors and changes that are due to the competitive setting these unrecognized entities find themselves in and which encourages institutional or policy mimicry. This article addresses this shortcoming by developing a diffusion model to account for the indirect diffusion influences of triadic competition. The model is then applied to Abkhazia’s state building pursuit since 1991, covering sectors as diverse as healthcare, education, and energy. These examples illustrate different responses from the Abkhaz authorities vis-à-vis the parent state, ranging from direct counteraction and patron involvement to compromise. The article identifies the varied implications of diffusion such as institution sharing, developments in public service provision, and accelerated state building responses. It finds that due to parent state pressure and limited availability of alternative support sources, competition serves as a legitimation device for Russian involvement in Abkhazia.