Nika Melia who is connected to Mikheil Saakashvili's ENM was
arrested in a February raid. The nation is in a state of political upheaval and
turmoil as it is caught in a proxy struggle between pro-Washington forces and
those who would either seek a pro-Europe but not necessarily pro-Atlanticist
position, and those who would seem what is tantamount to a Non-Aligned position
and the restoration of the Orthodox-rooted monarchy. There is also a small but
vocal pro-Russian faction that seeks to break all ties to the West.
The politics of the nation are additionally tied to questions
concerning disputed regions such as Abkhazia and South Ossetia and in many
respects these are questions that hark back not only to the dissolution of the
Soviet Union, but its formation and even some disputes which are connected to
the old Tsarist imperial polity. There are questions concerning Armenia and
Turkey - as there are many Georgian peoples living in Turkey's northeast. And
Georgia has also played a part in the politics of Chechnya. There are some who
wish to re-orient Georgia away from Washington and those such as Saakashvili
(who also has championed American interests in Ukraine) who would bring Georgia
into an essential relationship with Washington and NATO.
Europe also wants to see its Russian frontier pacified and in
many cases Brussels is seeking solutions somewhat different than that of
Washington and its aggressive posture toward Moscow. The Trump era was a vacuum
in terms of US policy and leadership and thus Brussels has stepped up. This has
led to an increase in tensions and a massive diplomatic mess that the Biden
administration will struggle to pacify – if indeed that's even the goal.
Biden's rhetoric thus far has indicated that his administration plans to push
Russia even harder than either Trump or Obama – more along the lines of what
Hilary Clinton had proposed.
Once again, the Georgian question has the potential to
provide Washington an opportunity to spoil the Ankara-Moscow relationship and
we shouldn't be surprised if tensions increase.
There is a growing tension all along the EU-NATO frontier
with Russia. The West paints it all as Russia aggression and yet Moscow's
stand-down with regard to Nagorno-Karabakh is just the latest example that
indicates otherwise. More than anything Brussels seeks a modus vivendi with their Russian neighbour. Washington clearly
wants a conflict and has been very aggressive for the past decade or so – again,
even under Trump, though he never had a coherent policy.
Russia for its part does not want war but it has drawn lines
and while the United States presses them, they push back and seek to manipulate
the situation. Georgia is a frontline state in this conflict and a potential
flashpoint. In the end it's the people in Georgia who will suffer. Most of the
population is looking West and yet some realise that if they give away their
country (as it were) to the West, they will be used and abused and thus they
seek another way. And yet Georgia is also a poor country and thus it's easily
manipulated by outside money and all the parties involved are pouring it in.
See also:
https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-saakashvili-saga-lives-on.html
https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2019/12/georgian-orthodoxy-and-cold-war-ii.html
https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-wests-attempt-to-win-over-trans.html
https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2018/06/georgias-interest-in-chechnya.html
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