Georgia’s democratization process is taking an ironic turn. Though eager to distance themselves from the Soviet era, a time when informants buttressed the Communist system, officials in Tbilisi are now turning average Georgians into tax-fraud snitches.
In the United States, the embattled postal service is resorting to drastic cost-cutting and sell-offs to stay solvent. In the Republic of Georgia, the post office is taking a different route to fiscal soundness – running the lottery.
Nine days ago in Georgia’s Black Sea region of Achara, President Mikheil Saakashvili unveiled the glitzy, “seven-star” seaside resort of Anaklia -- a complex intended as a response to Russia’s military presence in breakaway Abkhazia.
An ambitious Georgian government program to move children out of state care and into the community has earned praise by local and international children’s rights advocates. But the unexpected decision to close a state children’s home to make way for a new military training center has sparked fears that – despite the progressive reforms – politics still triumph over children’s rights.
The failed appeal of two Israeli entrepreneurs in a high-profile bribery case is raising questions about fairness in Georgia’s judicial system, as well as the confidence of foreign investors.
Apple Computer, the global technology force, is finding that the formerly Soviet Republic of Georgia is a haven for copycat artists. But some Georgian high-tech experts contend that having unauthorized dealers in Tbilisi works to Apple’s advantage by boosting its brand recognition.
The espionage charges brought recently against three photographers in Georgia are stirring a debate in Tbilisi: how spooky is the Russian bogeyman?
Some observers believe Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration is suffering from a severe case of spy mania. Others, however, maintain the cases are all too real.
A dispute over efforts to strengthen the legal rights of minority religions has opened a new fault line in Georgia’s fractured political landscape. It is also helping to define the limits of the governing United National Movement’s influence.
Georgia’s proposed election code changes, the result of a deal between the governing United National Movement and opposition parties, seem to dim the hopes for genuinely competitive parliamentary and presidential votes in 2012 and 2013 respectively, some Georgian civil society activists fear.
Forget ferro-alloys or scrap metal. Used cars have now become Georgia’s top export, raking in tens of millions of dollars for state coffers, even while raising uncomfortable questions about the country’s ability to produce goods locally.
