After the Rose Revolution, relations between the Georgian government and local media have increasingly caused concern, because the government has attempted to tame the press by administrative measures under the plausible excuse of establishing the rule of law. Consequentially, some Georgian television stations and newspapers,... MORE

Recent developments suggest that, after nearly ten years, the Kremlin still is unable to respond to attacks by separatists bent on an independent Chechnya. First, Chechen rebels staged a raid in neighboring Ingushetia on June 21. Several hundred rebels, joined by Ingush gunmen, essentially seized... MORE

The upcoming October 3 presidential election in the self-proclaimed republic of Abkhazia has caused a flurry of re-grouping among local political forces. The incumbent, Vladislav Ardzinba, cannot run for another term. New candidates are declaring their intentions and the front-runners seem to change daily. Sergei... MORE

Georgia's ongoing effort for a peaceful reintegration of South Ossetia is not only a legitimate national project, but also an attempt at rehabilitating the fundamentals of international law in the South Caucasus. This effort also advances Western strategic interests, which require a secure, economically sound... MORE

A new development in the Netherlands may influence efforts to settle the conflict between Georgia and its restive republic, Abkhazia. On July 8 prosecutors at the Hague-based UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) made the almost unprecedented decision to launch an investigation... MORE

The following recommendations emerged from a Jamestown Foundation event featuring Senior Jamestown Fellow Vladimir Socor, "The Crisis in South Ossetia: A Test of Russia's Conduct," held in Washington, DC on July 14, 2004. Tactical policy recommendations: 1. Support Georgia's goal, within the ongoing discussions with... MORE

"All happy families are alike. Each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way," wrote Leo Tolstoy at the beginning of Anna Karenina. The same holds true for multinational states, yet among ethnically diverse states there are very few "happy families." Somehow I am at... MORE

After remaining vacant for nine months, the post of Public Defender (Ombudsman) will be filled by a representative of the NGO community. President Mikheil Saakashvili made this decision on July 6 during a meeting in his office with a group of leading Georgian NGOs. The... MORE

After several days of a violent war of words and escalating tension, the threat of an armed conflict in the secessionist region of South Ossetia appears to have passed. Before his departure for a three-day official visit to London on Monday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili... MORE

On July 8 the Ossetian militia captured 47 Georgian servicemen and publicly humiliated them by forcing them to their knees before Russian TV cameras, roiling tensions between Tskhinvali and Tbilisi. When Ossetia released most of the captive on July 9, the highly explosive situation was... MORE