Georgia: Pawn in the New Political Game

Contents......Page 6
List of photos......Page 10
Acronyms......Page 12
Preface......Page 14
Map of Georgia......Page 16
A troubled area......Page 18
The new Silk Road......Page 21
The Western Offensive......Page 23
A regional alternative?......Page 26
Russia's Comeback......Page 27
Chechnya - all about oil?......Page 31
New Russian strategy......Page 32
Will Obama make a difference?......Page 33
Notes......Page 35
Paradoxes......Page 37
National or private religion?......Page 41
Georgianization......Page 43
Javakheti – far from Tbilisi......Page 45
A transit country......Page 47
Notes......Page 49
3. A history of failed independence......Page 51
Long before Christ......Page 52
Georgievsk 1783 - occupation or protection?......Page 53
The first modern independence......Page 55
Soviet Georgia = occupied territory?......Page 58
Notes......Page 61
4. The dissolution of the Soviet Union - blessing or disaster?......Page 63
Perestroika......Page 65
Social collapse, political pluralism......Page 66
On the brink of civil war......Page 70
Notes......Page 72
South Ossetia......Page 74
Abolishing the autonomy......Page 75
Years of relative calm......Page 77
Attempts at reconquest......Page 78
Abkhazia......Page 80
Countdown towards war......Page 81
The fall of Sukhumi, and Georgian mass flight......Page 84
Russia – culprit or scapegoat?......Page 86
Renewed tension......Page 88
Peace efforts......Page 90
Waiting for a Georgian de Gaulle......Page 91
Notes......Page 92
6. Gamsakhurdia, the tactical fanatic......Page 95
April 9, 1989......Page 96
Good liberator, poor administrator......Page 98
Dark legacy......Page 99
Notes......Page 101
Contradicting moods......Page 103
Shevardnadze's comeback......Page 106
Shevardnadze's first 'realistic' phase......Page 109
2000: cracks in the wall......Page 111
Shevardnadze turns to the West......Page 114
Escalation......Page 115
Back to Russia?......Page 119
Notes......Page 120
8. Kmara - enough! The Rose Revolution......Page 122
Did the opposition win?......Page 124
Fear of Abashidze......Page 128
Peaceful takeover......Page 129
Was it a CIA-led coup?......Page 130
Notes......Page 135
9. The revolutionary honeymoon......Page 136
Successes and failures......Page 137
The presidential election of 2004......Page 138
The brain of the revolution......Page 141
Towards one-party democracy?......Page 143
Reconciliation with Russia?......Page 144
Deteriorating relations with Russia......Page 145
The end of the honeymoon......Page 146
Notes......Page 148
A Green realist......Page 151
Zurab as political psychotherapist......Page 155
Was Zhvania assassinated?......Page 159
Repercussions of the death of Zhvania......Page 162
A great loss......Page 166
Notes......Page 167
11. Saakashvili, the failed liberator......Page 168
Minister, mayor, president......Page 169
The November crisis, 2007......Page 172
The presidential election of 2008......Page 175
The parliamentary election of 2008......Page 184
Good for business, not for the poor......Page 187
Notes......Page 190
12. The Ossetia War 2008 - a conspiracy, but by whom?......Page 193
The final escalation......Page 194
'Operation Clear Field'......Page 195
Ceasefire......Page 196
The Aftermath......Page 197
Contradictory conspiracy theories......Page 199
A struggle about democracy?......Page 201
Countermoves against Russian re-emergence?......Page 203
Dissident voices......Page 204
The European Union blames Georgia most, which embarrasses the EU presidency......Page 205
Notes......Page 208
13. After the war: renewed political clashes......Page 212
Attempted coup - or fake?......Page 214
Repressive tolerance......Page 217
Notes......Page 219
14. Georgia and Russia, the prodigal son and the Big Brother......Page 221
Russia's whiplashes......Page 222
Escalation......Page 224
No anti-Russian feelings......Page 227
Russians against anti-Georgian policy......Page 229
Is a Russian carrot impossible?......Page 230
Notes......Page 231
NATO: no solution......Page 233
Why not a Finnish option?......Page 235
Cyprus repeated in the Caucasus?......Page 237
What carrot for Russia?......Page 239
Russian neocolonialism - or just globalization??......Page 242
Options for Georgia......Page 244
The need for alternative policy......Page 246
Notes......Page 249
Bibliography......Page 251
Index......Page 258