Tbilisi Blues
Since taking office in January, President Mikheil Saakashvili has made the restoration of Georgia's territorial integrity his top priority. His initial moves were remarkably successful. Aslan Abashidze, the strongman who had long controlled the autonomous province of Adjaria, stepped down under pressure from the central government. He fled to Russia, leaving the province and its important Black Sea port of Batumi once again under Tbilisi's direct control.
Emboldened by the success in Adjaria, Saakashvili next moved against South Ossetia, the region in north-central Georgia which has effectively existed as an independent state for more than a decade. Saakashvili ordered Georgian police and interior ministry forces to close down one of the region's chief sources of revenue, a vast black market complex which sold foodstuffs and fuel smuggled from Russia. In response, South Ossetia's leadership upped the ante by announcing preparations to defend their unrecognized republic against a supposed Georgian invasion. In late July, Georgian troops and peacekeepers, who are allowed to be in the region under the cease-fire agreement, clashed with South Ossetian militiamen and freelance fighters from Russia. By mid-August, a dozen Georgian soldiers and an unknown number of civilians, both Georgian and South Ossetian, had been killed.
Tensions have also been rising in Abkhazia, the region along the northwestern coast which, like South Ossetia, has been functionally independent for more than ten years. President Saakashvili has vowed to block any ships from docking at Abkhazia's ports and to try to prevent Russian tourists from visiting the attractive beaches (
Log in or register for free to continue reading.
Registered users get access to one free article every month.
Or subscribe and save 55%!
- Full website and iPad access
- Magazine issues
- New! Books from the Foreign Affairs Anthology Series