The crisis between Russia and Georgia has escalated to mutual deportations of respective nationals and economic sanctions. Georgia is in a tough spot, its pro-western policies is not backed by reciprocal support from the US. Further, as the earlier disruption of Georgian natural gas and electricity proved, Georgia is heavily reliant on Russian economic connectivity. If things don't change in a hurry, Georgia will be forced to choose between economic stagnation and compliance with Russian hegemony.
The Ukrainian Solution
However, there is an indirect method that may provide Georgia a way out of this faustian bargain. The answer is similar to the approach used by Ukraine when faced with a similar level of economic pressure earlier this year. In that crisis, Russia tried to cut-off supplies of natural gas to the Ukraine while at the same time pumping natural gas through pipelines that ran through the country. Of course, the Ukrainians naturally siphoned off the gas they needed from Russia's european customers. These customers quickly forced Russia to resolve the crisis.The uncomfortable fact for Russia, hidden behind the bluster of this crisis, is that it is reliant on oil/gas exports for 50% of the state's finances and the bulk of the vast portfolios of its top politicians. Further, the state owned firms that provide this bounty are also traded on global markets -- which provides the huge market capitalizations that provide Russia with the financial muscle for their entire natural resource strategy (which has become the centerpiece of Russian foreign policy). In sum, Russia's center of gravity is no longer with the will of its people. It has now shifted to its customers and the investors that buy its stock on global markets. Russia is reliant on the moral strength of people that scurry at the sound of a mouse, but it doesn't even know it yet.
Adopting global guerrilla methods (particularly systems disruption) as state policyGeorgia does have a way out of the predicament. It could adopt the global guerrilla methods (aka fifth generation warfare) and use system disruption as a strategic weapon to coerce Russia to relent. Like the Ukraine found out (I suspect unwittingly), the best way to coerce Russia is to disrupt its export of natural gas/oil. Fortunately for Georgia, Russia's vast distances yield a pipeline transport system that is both heavily concentrated and extremely vulnerable (I've done the network analysis and it would be very easy to do, it is rife with systempunkts). A dozen small teams (2-3 at most, my personal choice would be mercenaries to enhance plausible deniability) dedicated to blowing up sections of these pipelines (either within Russia or in 3rd party nations like Poland and Ukraine), would likely yield a 20% to 30% sustained reduction in Russian exports.
The result would be predictable. The rapid and severe customer/investor reaction to a reduction in Russian exports would be so severe that Russia would be forced to promptly concede. All Georgia needs to do now, is adopt 4GW and go to work defending itself.