Blogging the democratic revolution
A much talked about concept (and concern) over the summer and autumn in EU foreign policy circles has been the birth of what is being called the “Kosovo double-standard,” by which the EU and United States support Kosovo’s independence from Serbia while declining to recognize the supposed self-determination of Georgian breakaway provinces Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The idea came about this year as talks began in February over Kosovo’s status, as well a vote this summer which allowed Montenegro to declare independence from Serbia. If last year was the year of democratic revolutions, then this is certainly the one of…
Amid escalated confrontation with Russia and no perspective of things getting better there Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is apparently trying to guarantee himself and his ruling United National Movement (UNM) from surprises due to a possible Moscow involvement. Saakashvili asked the parliament to cut his term by several months and hold parliamentary and presidential elections simultaneously early in 2008. By uniting two election campaigns Saakashvili, who????????s widely expected to stay for the next term, hopes to help his party win a clear majority in the parliament while his popularity will be still high. This is exactly what the opposition doesn????????t…
As Publius Pundit readers know, a crisis is brewing in Georgia. After discovering a spy ring seeking to subvert the current pro-West presidential administration on Russia????????s behalf, just as Georgia entered the final round of talks on NATO membership, the Georgian government took action to arrest the conspirators, who included several Russian military officers. In response, Russia has recalled its ambassador and imposed a trade and travel blockade on tiny Georgia, seeking to destabilize its economy. More recently, it has loosed a pogrom-like assault on Georgian-owned businesses and assets in Russia, as well as a series of crude attacks on…
On the left above, you see the face of pro-U.S. Ukrainian Viktor Yushchenko before he sought the presidency of his country. On the right, you see his face shortly after he made that decision. What happened? Well, he ingested a large amount of highly toxic chemicals, and it wasn????????t a suicide attempt. Many people believe it was an effort by the Russian secret police to keep Yushchenko from ousting pro-Russian prime minister Viktor Yanukovich from power in the upcoming election. Yushchenko had promised to move Ukraine away from Russia and towards the European Union, NATO and the United States. The…
Things appear to be going from the frying pan to the fire in Russia. As if the recent news of Russia????????s internal human rights strife was not bad enough, now horrifying anti-democratic events appear to be unfolding in the former Soviet slave state of Georgia. The Moscow News reports that Georgian police uncovered an attempt to destabilize and unseat the government of elected President Mikhail Saakashvili. It reports: Nearly 30 people were arrested in Georgia on suspicion of plotting a coup against the government, officials said. They say those detained are supporters of Igor Giorgadze ???????? the fugitive former head…
In January, Russia’s state-controlled natural gas company Gazprom shut off the pipelines to Ukraine, causing shortages all throughout Europe. It could have been because Ukraine didn’t want to pay higher rates for its gas, but more likely it was political pressure aimed at dislodging the new pro-Western government of Viktor Yushchenko. And it worked. Now it looks like Russia’s favored candidate, Viktor Yanukovich, may be taking the reins of power soon. But if you thought that was bad, it’s not the half of it. Russia maintains “peacekeeper” troops in places where they aren’t want. One such place is the Transdnistria…
Eurasia Daily Monitor has an in-depth article detailing pressure by Georgian President Saakashivili’s Rose Revolution government on the judiciary in the country. Widespread allegations about restrictions on judicial independence since the Rose Revolution have received new credibility following sensational confessions by four members of the Georgian Supreme Court. Tamaz Iliashvili, Merab Turava, David Sulakvelidze, and Nino Gvenetadze have publicly accused Kote Kublashvili, chairman of the Supreme Court, and Valery Tsertsvadze, secretary of the Supreme Council of Justice, of exerting political pressure on judges and forcing them to make decisions favoring the government on specific cases. Currently, the Judicial Discipline Commission…
Yesterday’s The Messenger (an english-language Georgian daily) covers the formation of a new political party out of smaller opposition groups, primarily the Conservatives and the Republicans. This new party shares in the heritage of the Rose Revolution, although it now finds enough room for disagreement with the ruling National Movement: Several leading members of both the Conservative and Republican parties originally were members of the pro-government party but broke away over the last 20 months, disenchanted by the policies of the government. “I can say for sure that we are a revolutionary opposition, in that we supported the Rose Revolution.…
President Saakashvili and President Yushchenko met for a summit in Georgia to discuss and make the announcement of a new grouping of nations whose sole purpose is to secure the principles of democracy for their people. It will be called the Commonwealth of Democratic Choice. 12 August 2005 — The Ukrainian and Georgian presidents today called for the setting up of a new regional alliance that would champion freedom and democracy in their countries and throughout the region. Ukraine’s Viktor Yushchenko and Georgia’s Mikhail Saakashvili said in a statement that the Commonwealth of Democratic Choice will become a powerful tool…
Here’s an interesting article at The Messenger, an English-language Georgian newspaper. Additionally, here at a Ukrainian news site, there’s a brief report on Israeli investment in Ukraine, noting that over the most recent half year “foreign capital amount increased 16 times in comparison with the same period of the last year.”
Besides democratization, and all that it implies, the government of Georgia must deal with separatist governments in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. While the former will likely prove much more difficult in general, Saakashvili’s governmet has just released a comprehensive plan to reconcile with South Ossetia. Most striking about the plan is how it deals two-fold with at once the Ossetian people outside the autonomous region and again with the government there. As the article notes, “Georgia becomes the first country in the region to offer repatriation, restitution, and compensation to refugees in the context of conflict-settlement efforts.” Every effort is…
After years of stalled talks between the two, Georgia and Russia have signed a joint declaration pledging toward a specific plan for the pullout of Russian military bases from Georgia. The Russian and Georgian Foreign Ministries published a joint declaration, which outlines the process of withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia. It also deals border delimitation and conflict resolution issues. The Joint Declaration was signed by the to Ministers ???????? Sergey Lavrov and Salome Zourabichvili, after talks in Moscow on May 30. According to the declaration Russia committed itself to putting its two military bases, in Batumi and Akhalkalaki,…
Georgia experienced the Rose Revolution in 2003, serving as an antecedent for Ukraine’s Orange Revolution (as well as democratic revolutions elsewhere). Georgia has since made nice progress, with U.S. President Bush visiting two weeks ago. Now a commission of the Georgian government, led by President Saakashvili, has prepared a draft document outlining the nation’s national security requirements and fundamental national values. Civil Georgia has the story: The draft concept of the national security sets sovereignty, security, peace, democracy, rule of law, human rights and welfare as Georgia????????s fundamental national values. These values are a ???????vital necessity for the existence and…
“You gathered here armed with nothing but roses and the power of your convictions and you claimed your liberty and because you acted, Georgia is today both sovereignty and free and a beacon of liberty for this region and the world.” And the crowd went wild. “In recent months, the world has marveled at the hopeful changes taking place from Baghdad to Beirut to Bishket. But before there was a Purple Revolution in Iraq or an Orange Revolution in Ukraine or a Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, there was the Rose Revolution in Georgia.” Arms are raised in the air, everyone…
I’m watching Bush’s speech to Georgia now. I’ll write more as soon as it’s over. Huge applauses. There must be a hundred thousand people there!
The ritz and glamour of the V-E Day celebrations in Moscow are coming to a close, and nearly everyone, except my German grandmother, has been watching and opining on what it all means for U.S.-Russia relations. At one moment, you have Bush praising the Baltics and preaching freedom and democracy in Belarus. On the other, you have Putin criticizing American democracy, hailing the Soviet Union and even erecting statues of Stalin. You’d think the Cold War is about to get hot again! Then you see the two watching an impressive military display, smiling and laughing together, and driving around in…
Earlier this week, Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky announced that he had offered 10 CDs of the Melnychenko recordings to Viktor Yushchenko. Now, the Parliament has denied Berezovsky an entry visa: KIEV, April 22 (Itar-Tass) – The Supreme Rada (parliament) of Ukraine has refused to support the request of MP Alexander Volkov to Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko on issuing an entry visa to political refugee Platon Yelenin (Boris Berezovsky), who has been invited to Ukraine by a group of MPs. Only 19 MPs voted in support for the request, while the needed number of votes is 226. I have this this…
Yesterday I posted that Georgian President Saakashvili will predict where the next revolution will be on April 22 during the next GUUAM summit. Check out what this article has to say. TBILISI. April 19 (Interfax) – Georgia’s parliament plans to adopt an address that will be sent to the people of Belarus this week. “The parliament of Georgia is confident that the fraternal people of Belarus will be able to overcome all resistance which is being put up by internal and external retrograde forces, and this wonderful European country will not be isolated,” reads the draft document. Chairman of the…
Nathan points to an article saying that Georgian President Saakashvili will unveil the next country to undergo a “velvet revolution” at the next GUUAM meeting. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has said that a new velvet revolution will follow the regime changes in Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, Rosbalt news agency reports. ???????We have defeated our enemies in these two countries, but there is one more country on our list,??????? he announced at a meeting with the Georgian Prosecutor General????????s Office staff. The president promised to reveal the name of the country at the five-nation GUUAM summit in Chisinau on April 22 that…
Georgia has been trying to get Russian military bases out for a while now, but it seems as if the situation may get worse: After a two-year interruption and ten years of futile talks, another round of Russian-Georgian negotiations on the withdrawal of Russian troops was held in vain on February 10-11 in Tbilisi. The Russian side advanced conditions that amount to a refusal to withdraw its troops from Georgia. The conditions have grown in number and in brazenness, compared to what Moscow had demanded at the preceding rounds of negotiations. The escalation of conditions is probably also designed and…
Eurasianet offers one of the first recent interviews by new Georgia PM, Zurab Noghaideli. On another note, President Saakashvili gave his state of the nation address: Declaring Georgia “a proper state,” President Mikheil Saakashvili delivered his annual state of the nation speech to parliament on February 10. The upbeat speech was the Georgian leader????????s first detailed public statement on government policy since the death of Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, a leading architect of the country????????s reform program. Saakashvili asserted that the 2003 Rose Revolution that brought his administration to power had begun to accomplish its goals. “Georgia was a failed…
Sergei Blagov writes on the possibly of colder relations with Russia after Zhvania’s death. Russian analysts and media outlets believe the death of Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania could have significant repercussions for bilateral relations between Russia and Georgia, as well as for stability within Georgia itself. Official statements out of the Kremlin since Zhvania????????s February 3 death have emphasized the political leader????????s moderation and responsibility. ÄFor background see the Eurasia Insight archiveÅ. Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Zhvania as a champion of “friendly and good-neighborly relations” between Russia and Georgia. Russian Transportation Minister Igor Levitin, who headed Russia????????s delegation…
Just when you think you’ve run into an information dead end, Neeka pops out all sorts of background, stories, interviews, and connections. It looks like the death of Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania is definitely not being heeded as coincidental on that side of the world. UPDATE: And it looks like a prominent community activist is voicing out that she thinks there should be more inquiry into the death: TBILISI, February 7 (RIA Novosti) – Irina Sarishvili-Chanturia, a prominent Georgian community activist, suspects Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania was murdered. As soon as she announced it, she was harassed with anonymous telephone…
Aussiegirl found this article reporting another suspicious death in Georgia: GEORGIA was yesterday plunged into crisis after it was revealed a political associate of dead prime minister Zurab Zhvania had apparently committed suicide. There were fears of a return to the old Soviet ways of dispensing with political foes by alleged accident or suicide after the third death in the government in as many days. Zhvania, a moderating force in the Georgian government, and a colleague died apparently of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty heater last week. Georgy Khelashvili, 32, a political associate of Zhvania, was found dead…
Go to anyone on my blogroll from the nearby area and you’ll see a lot of speculation over the death of Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania of Georgia. I’m sure the people of Georgia are actually a lot more speculative, so the FBI will help investigate the matter.