Latest Articles about Georgia
MULTIPLE ISSUES MAKE OPPOSITION SEEM ATTRACTIVE TO GEORGIAN VOTERS
In recent weeks Georgia's ruling National Movement party has repelled attacks from opposition groups criticizing the government's policies in various fields. The opposition charges that Georgia under President Mikheil Saakashvili is teetering between illiberal democracy and liberal autocracy. Saakashvili's government is facing criticism over a... MORE
WILL GEORGIA BECOME A U.S. ALLY IN A POSSIBLE STRIKE AGAINST IRAN?
Georgian officials and pundits are vigorously denying allegations that U.S. officials are in secret talks with Tbilisi about using Georgian military bases and airfields in the event of a military conflict with Iran. The Jerusalem Post (February 20) claims a high-ranking, but anonymous, official from... MORE
TWO-TRACK RESOLUTION — GEORGIA’S BEST OPTION ON PEACEKEEPING IN SOUTH OSSETIA
The Georgian parliament is debating the terms of a resolution that would instruct Georgia's government to demand the termination of Russia's "peacekeeping" operation in Georgia's Tskhinvali Region (South Ossetia). The parliament is acting pursuant to its October 11, 2005, resolution that had assessed this operation... MORE
SAAKASHVILI TRUMPETS SUCCESSES, WHILE OPPOSITION PLOTS “NETTLE REVOLUTION”
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili delivered his annual state-of-the-nation address at the first meeting of the parliament's spring session on February 14. Like his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yushchenko, who in his February 9 address described his country as "the regional leader for integration processes" (EDM, February... MORE
TBILISI CLAIMS TO HAVE THWARTED ATTEMPT ON SAAKASHVILI’S LIFE
A new wave of tension is erupting between Georgia and Russia after Tbilisi announced that on February 2 it had discovered a Russian-made "Igla" portable anti-aircraft missile in Kareli -- the district adjacent to the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone. Georgian authorities suspect that the missile was... MORE
MOSCOW KILLS BODEN PAPER, THREATENS TO TERMINATE UNOMIG IN GEORGIA
During his five-day visit to Germany, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili told the press that Russia's process of self-definition includes the issue of recognizing where Russia's borders end. In Georgia's case, the unlawful presence of Russian troops within Georgia's borders represents the only real source of... MORE
HEAD OF GEORGIA’S NATIONAL GUARD RESIGNS AFTER 10 DAYS
The Georgian armed forces anticipate two major challenges in 2006. First, Russian peacekeeping troops are expected to withdraw from the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Second, Georgia must redesign its defense system according to NATO standards if it hopes to join that organization.... MORE
TBILISI TURNS TO TEHRAN TO BRIDGE ENERGY DEFICIT
The Russian-Georgian gas crisis following the January 22 explosion of two gas pipelines in Russian territory (see EDM, January 23) seemed to be resolved by a plan to deliver Russian natural gas through Azerbaijan. But on January 24 Georgian Energy Minister Nika Gilauri reported a... MORE
CHANGES IN GEORGIAN MEDIA INDUSTRY REFLECT POLITICAL INFIGHTING
On January 4, two leading Georgian private television companies announced a merger, suggesting to analysts that these changes in the country's media industry reflect domestic political jockeying. According to the deal, most likely concluded behind tightly closed doors, the owner of Rustavi-2 TV has bought... MORE
SAAKASHVILI GOVERNMENT CRACKS DOWN ON PRISON MAFIA
A wave of strikes by inmates at prisons across Georgia is part of the criminal world's carefully crafted plan to resist government efforts to assert their authority in the penal system. The first strike began on December 24 in Kutaisi, Georgia's second largest city, and... MORE