· January, 2008

Stories about Georgia from January, 2008

Georgia: Political Alternatives

  31 January 2008

TOL Georgia reports that while there are many things wrong in the country, the situation just can't be compared to that which it found itself in before the November 2003 “Rose Revolution.” However, the blog says, the upcoming parliamentary elections are of vital importance and not least in checking the...

Georgia: Post-Election Distractions

  30 January 2008

TOL Georgia reports that now Mikhail Saakashvili has officially started his second term in office a new report from international election observers note further irregularities with the conduct of the vote. However, the blog notes, the country and even the opposition have since moved on.

Caucasus: Polarized Politics

  28 January 2008

This being the year of elections in the South Caucasus, Marilisa Lorusso's Blog says that reasoned political debate has given way to aggression and a polarized environment that will be difficult to reconcile later. The post also rounds up the latest election-related news from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Caucasus: High Speed Internet

  23 January 2008

Social Science in the Caucasus says that 3 percent of Georgians have Internet access at home, but that it's quality leaves something to be desired. While Azerbaijan has the fastest download speed in the region, the Caucasus still lags behind the developed world.

Armenia: Politics — The Driving Force Behind Blogs?

  17 January 2008

Last week, the main topics discussed in the Armenian blogosphere were the election manifesto of former president Levon Ter-Petrossian and the presidential election in neighboring Georgia. It's no wonder that many are now wondering, including bloggers themselves, if politics isn't the driving force behind blogs in Armenia. “Before the last...

Georgia: Election Retrospective

  17 January 2008

Anna Dolidze at Resistance Georgia has returned to the United States after observing the recent presidential election in her native Georgia. The pro-opposition human rights lawyer says that after the controversial vote which saw most residents in the capital, Tbilisi, vote against the incumbent, it will prove difficult for President...

Azerbaijan: Economic Illumination

  15 January 2008

Window on Eurasia ponders whether studying images of former Soviet republics at night can't provide an insight into their economic well-being. If it can, the blog says, economic growth in Azerbaijan far outstrips that in neighboring Armenia and Georgia.

Georgia: Election Mess

  15 January 2008

TOL Georgia examines the circumstances surrounding last November's clashes between opposition supporters and riot police, the declaration of a state of emergency, and the controversy surrounding last week's early presidential election. The blog provides a comprehensive overview of a mess that has yet to be cleared up in the former...

Georgia: Revolutionary Spirit

  13 January 2008

As thousands of Georgians again protest in the capital, Tbilisi, against the outcome of last weekend's presidential election, Marilisa Lorusso's Blog comments on the opinion of one analyst in neighboring Armenia that the tradition of the country is more “revolutionary.” The blog says that the same opinion is shared in...

Georgia: Falsified Election

  11 January 2008

TOL Georgia comments on the apparent about face from international observers regarding the conduct of the 5 January presidential election in Georgia. A day after the vote, international observers declared the election “broadly democratic,” but now — less than a week later — they say “there was crass, negligent and...

Georgia: LGBT Magazine

  10 January 2008

Unzipped: Gay Armenia reports that a local LGBT magazine, previously available only in Georgian, will now be translated into English and made available abroad.

Georgia: Election Trivia

  10 January 2008

TOL Georgia comments on the appearance of newly re-elected Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili on a popular TV political talk show. The blog says that the opportunity to ask the most obvious question about the conduct of Saturday's presidential election was missed.

Georgia: Final Results

  9 January 2008

Writing for his blog, This is Tbilisi Calling, the BBC's Matthew Collin says that the official results for Saturday's presidential election have finally been declared. As had been reported in the international media anyway, Mikhail Saakashvili won a second term in office, but Collin says that it is doubtful that...

Russia: Nikolai Marr

  7 January 2008

De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis shares an extraordinary story of the life and work of Nikolay Yakovlevich Marr: “He became a great polyglot and could have become a great linguist, had it not been for the passion and obsession with his own unsubstantiated theories. He never even completed a single...

Georgia: Game Over

  7 January 2008

Asking Tough Questions in Tough Places analyzes the outcome of Saturday's presidential election in Georgia. Although the former head of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Azerbaijan says it looks as though Saakashvili did win “legitimately” on election day itself, there is enough reason for the West to demand that...

Georgia: Saakashvili is Satisfied

  7 January 2008

Following the positive verdict on Saturday's presidential election in Georgia by international observers, TOL Georgia says that the re-elected president, Mikhail Saakashvili, is more than satisfied. However, the blog wonders what would have had to happen in order for the observers to conclude that the vote didn't meet international standards...

Georgia: Parallel Vote Tabulation

  7 January 2008

Resistance Georgia, the blog of pro-opposition human rights lawyer and activist Anna Dolidze, posts the results of parallel voter tabulation by the Georgian International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED).

Georgia: 9 mm Rugers instead of AK-47s

  7 January 2008

Following on from international observers concluding that Georgia's presidential election largely met international standards with no significant irregularities, Campanastan concludes that this “probably means the ballot box monitors carried 9 mm Rugers instead of AK-47s.”

Georgia: Kicking Russian Ass

  7 January 2008

With international observers calling Saturday's snap presidential election in Georgia “broadly democratic”, Publius Pundit delights in “kicking a little Russian ass.” Now, the blog concludes, it's time for Georgia to be accepted into NATO.

Georgia: Election Concerns

  7 January 2008

Artashes98 expresses concern regarding the verdict from the international community on Saturday's presidential election in Georgia. The blogger says that had the candidate of power been someone not considered pro-Western, the conclusion of the OSCE/ODIHR monitors would have been very different indeed.

Georgia: Presidential Election Update

  6 January 2008

Although the international media is now reporting a victory for the incumbent, Mikhail Saakashvili, in yesterday's presidential election in Georgia, there has so far been very little reaction to the news in the blogosphere. This contrasts strikingly with how bloggers worldwide reacted to the clashes between opposition supporters and riot...