Word: saakashviliã
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Dennis M. Mwaura ’12, who also attended the speech, praised Saakashvili??s efforts to strengthen democratic institutions in Georgia, particularly the fact that Georgia currently ranks first in the world in combating corruption...
...phones) or the effect of the nation’s recent economic collapse (stock market down three quarters, reserves down half, currency value down a third, double-digit unemployment and inflation). NATO in fact has far more power over Russia than Ms. Bryson imagines. She attempts to impugn President Saakashvili??s democratic credentials, ignoring the fact that he is besieged by a giant neighbor where even vestigial democratic politics have been totally liquidated. The fact that Georgia remains to any extent democratic in the face of this threat is a miracle owing only to Saakashvili?...
...While the government has allowed the protests to continue without interference, the memory of the government’s violent suppression of protests in 2007 remains a mark on Saakashvili??s record as a democratic leader. And early last week, a tank division mutinied against the government. Whether or not Russia was behind the plot—as Saakashvili has implied—it is a clear indicator that Georgia does not have full control over its military forces...
...Saakashvili has called the exercises a “symbolic event,” and it appears clear that, at least in Saakashvili??s mind, the purpose of these maneuvers is to demonstrate NATO’s solidarity with Georgia and its willingness to defend Georgia against Russia, if need be. Given the suggestions that the August war was at least partly the fault of Saakashvili??s recklessness, however, it seems likely that any suggestion that NATO will come to his aid will only make him bolder, particularly in the face of domestic calls...
Georgia’s future depends on whether Russia can resist the urge to play a role in Saakashvili??s efforts to transform the country. Saakashvili, who is likely to win the election in January, is an American-trained lawyer, but he is inexperienced and he may be susceptible to Russian efforts to instill a malleable atmosphere in Tbilisi. Given the economic incentive for Russia to exploit the region’s resources, and the security concerns in neighboring Chechnya, it seems unlikely that Russia will see Saakashvili??s ascent as any significant reason to change...
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