Georgia is living critical time, trying to maintain its independence and slowly navigate towards Europe in the shadow of rising Russian desire to rehabilitate hegemony in the area of the former Soviet Union. Georgia’s good beginning under the first democratically elected President Zviad Gamsakhurdia was cut short by a Russian-backed coup d’état of Eduard Shevardnadze, former KGB general and Soviet foreign minister. The coup was instantly followed by a disastrous civil war, where Russian troops occupied two large areas of Georgian territory, causing severe refugee problems to Georgia. In the new situation, however, Shevardnadze is trying to stay defiant at Russia, and the danger is that the Zviadist opposition may be falling into a trap in its understandable desire for revenge against General Shevardnadze’s junta. Georgia had better concentrate in building strong co-operation with Azerbaijan and Turkey, which will be needed in order to construct the strategic pipeline from Baku to Ceyhan.
By: Jaan-Andres Sepp in March 2000