Georgia in Context


Georgia is a former satellite state of the Soviet Union located in Central Eastern Europe.  It borders the Black sea on its west, and the Northern Caucus regions of Russia in the north.  In the south, Georgia shares a border with Armenia and Turkey and in the southeast - Azerbaijan.

Having gained its independence from the Soviet Union, Georgia was ruled by President Eduard Shevardnadze from 1992-2003, until he was

deposed by a democratic “Rose Revolution” in 2003.  Georgia’s Rose Revolution has inspired subsequent “color revolutions” in former Soviet states, such as Ukraine’s “Orange Revolution,” and Kyrgyzstan’s “Tulip Revolution.”

Briefing with Georgia’s Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Vasil Sikharulidze
April 11, 2006

Under the leadership of President Mikhail Saakashvili, Georgia is trying to align itself with Europe and the West. It is working to strengthen and deepen its democratic and economic institutions in hopes that it will be able to join NATO and eventually the EU.

Despite significant steps toward reform, long standing conflicts in the de facto autonomous, Russian supported regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia remain. In 2005, the Georgian Government proposed a peace initiative looking to resolve the status of South Ossetia. The two disputed regions are located on Georgia's northern border with Russia, making them a geopolitical liability for Georgia as the hostility between Russia and the West intensifies.

Freedom House Country Report-Georgia
Georgia's political rights rating has improved from 4 to 3 after successfully carrying out free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections. In that same report Georgia scored a 4 for civil liberties. For a more detailed explanation of these ratings see the Freedom House website.

Updates:

Briefing with Georgia’s Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Vasil Sikharulidze
April 11, 2006, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Washington, D.C.

Ambassador Sikharulidze spoke about Georgia’s reforms to rein in corruption, improve the judiciary, and stimulate economic growth all to pave the way to eventual membership in the EU and in the more near term, NATO.

The Ambassador emphasized that becoming part of NATO was Georgia’s “most important political goal.”  He discussed Georgia’s history of participation in NATO and Western military activities since 1996, when it participated in the multinational k4 (a NATO designation) peacekeeping force in Kosovo.  Today, there are over 850 Georgian forces in Iraq, and the ambassador announced that plans are underway for Georgian involvement in Afghanistan.

Georgia was the first country to agree to an Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO in 2004 as the first step toward membership. The Plan commits Georgia to implementing reforms and to enact policy to prepare them for membership in NATO. In addition to modernizing and reorganizing their military to NATO standards, Georgia has committed itself to strengthening democratic institutions, rule of law, and complying with international human rights standards.  According to the ambassador, 2006 is a critical year in Georgia’s bid to join NATO, on April 13 they will undergo a final assessment before moving on to the next steps in the integration process.

 

Stand-off in the Parliament

In an April 7, 2006 RFE/RL article, Jean Christophe reports on a crisis between the opposition and government that was precipitated when one of the opposition members, Valeri Gelashvili- was stripped of his mandate March 31 by a pro-government majority allegedly because “his business interests were incompatible with his political activities.” Gelashvili has been implicated by some government officials in an arson attack on a school because he owns shares in a company that stood to benefit from reconstruction. On the other hand, according to RFE/RL, an April 5th report by Georgia’s ombudsman suggests that government authorities were behind a physical attack on Gelashvili last year that occured just days after he had given a newspaper interview critical of President Saakashvili.  

The broad coalition of the opposition parties is currently boycotting the parliament and has put forth three conditions to end the boycott:

  1. The passage of three amendments aimed at making electoral law “more democratic,” by including opposition members in the electoral commissions, guarantees of secret voting, and transparent electoral rolls.
  2. Direct elections of city mayors and heads of districts
  3. The resignation of Interior Minister Van Merabishvilli who the opposition blames for an escalation in political violence. (Four Interior Ministry officials were arrested and charged in the murder of a bank employee)

President Saakashvili has not yet commented.

 

 

Timeline

  • 1992-2003 – Georgia ruled by President Eduard Shevardnadze, who was largely associated with corruption and blamed for Georgia’s economic stagnation.

  • Spring 2003 – Georgian civil society activists visit Belgrade where they meet with members of “Otpor,” a civil society organization that was active in bringing down the Milosevic regime in 2001. The trip is sponsored by the Soros foundation. Upon their return they launch the Georgian version of the protest movement: “Kmara” which means, “Enough is Enough!” The group’s popularity was bolstered when the government attempts to suppress the group with arrests and a smear campaign attempting to frame the group as Russian agitators. (for more details see the BBC's How to Stage a Revolution)

  • Nov. 2, 2003

    • Parliamentary elections are held and Eduard Shevardnadze’s party wins
    • The opposition contests the election results, Mikhail Saakashvili’s party should have won according to exit polls
    • local and international observers report election rigging
  • Nov. 2003 – In the next 3 weeks demonstrations break out across the nation, thousands of citizens join organizations like “Kmara” in non-violent protest. The opposition unites under the leadership of Mikhail Saakashvili and calls for the resignation of President Shevardnadze and new elections.
  • Nov. 22 – On the opening day of the newly elected parliament, hundreds of thousands of Georgian activists take to the streets in major cities all across Georgia including the capital city of Tbilisi where they besiege the parliamentary building in which President Shevardnadze is delivering a speech.  Shevardnadze escapes with his bodyguards.  The military refuses to support the President in suppressing the uprising, leaving Shevardnadze no choice but to cooperate with the opposition.
  • Nov. 23 – Shevardnadze meets with opposition leaders, Mikhail Saakashvili, and resigns as president.
  • January 4, 2004 – Michael Saakashvili wins the presidential election by a landslide.
  • March 28, 2004 – New Parliamentary elections are held and Saakashvili's coalition National Movement-Democrats (composed of the United National Movement and United Democrat Parties) win overwhelmingly.
 

Web Sites of Interest

CCD does not necessarily endorse any of the following web pages and provides these links simply to offer a diverse viewpoint.

 

 

© 2004 Council for a Community of Democracies - All Rights Reserved
Powered by Crescent Leaf Technologies