Stories about Georgia from February, 2009
Georgia: Punk Rock
Georgian Live Music says the country's second largest city of Kutaisi was synonymous with rock and punk bands in the 1990s. The blog posts information and photos of some of them.
Armenia: Nationalist agitation in Georgia
Writing on the new Frontline Club blog, Global Voices Online's Caucasus Regional Editor reports on plans to hold a demonstration outside the Georgian Embassy in Yerevan, Armenia. The blog says that local nationalists with the possible backing of Moscow might be seeking to destabilize Armenia's northern neighbor.
Georgia-Russia: Information War
Writing for the Frontline Club blog, Al Jazeera's Matthew Collin comments on a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists which criticizes both Russia and Georgia of exerting control over the media. In particular, the blog says that coverage of the August war over South Ossetia in both countries...
Georgia: Eurovision Controversy
Following its recent war with Russia, Georgia had initially planned to boycott this year's Eurovision Song Contest to be staged in Moscow, but later changed its mind. However, if reversing that decision might have initially seemed an attempt to repair damaged relations, yesterday's national song contest proved otherwise. Eurovision bloggers react.
Georgia: Eurovision Pop Protest
Writing for the new Frontline Club blog, Matthew Collin says that Georgia might use this this year's Eurovision international song contest to be held in Moscow to poke fun at its foe in last year's short lived August war with an entry entitled “Put-In Disco.”
Georgia: Homphobic TV
Unzipped: Gay Armenia reports that a LGBT organization in the Republic of Georgia has filed a complaint against the deputy head of Public TV for homophobic remarks.
Georgia: Royal Wedding
Yesterday's wedding between two descendants of the Bagrationi dynasty which ruled Georgia for at least 10 centuries has captured the imagination of royal watchers worldwide. However, for those pondering the state of democracy in the post-Soviet country since the November 2007 unrest, the marriage has also reinvigorated talk of reestablishing the monarchy.
Russia-EU: Relations at a low
Russlandblog comments on [GER] deteriorating relations between Brussels and Moscow following Russia's war with Georgia and its gas crisis with Ukraine.
Russia: Glukhov and the Army's Other Problems
A story on Aleksandr Glukhov and other problems that the Russian army is facing – at OpenDemocracy.net.
Caucasus: Creative Commons
The Creative Commons blog reports that significant progress has been made in adapting and translating the licensing system for Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Supported by the Eurasia Partnership Foundation, an online discussion on the three drafts is now open for all to join.
Russia, Georgia: Chreba and Akua
IZO sums up a post by LJ user rigello (RUS): “One of the upshots of the South Ossetian war has been the degeorgianification, in the Russian media, of the place-names Tskhinvali and Sukhumi. These have been russified to Tskhinval and Sukhum. But this seems a little ridiculous when you know...