GEORGIA FROM NATIONAL AWAKENING TO ROSE REVOLUTION
Post-Soviet Politics
Series Editor: Neil Robinson, University of Limerick, Ireland
The last decade has seen rapid and fundamental change in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Although there has been considerable academic comment on these changes over the years, detailed empirical and theoretical research on the transformation of the post-Soviet space is only just beginning to appear as new paradigms are developed to explain change.
Post-Soviet Politics is a new series focusing on the politics of change in the states of the former USSR. The series publishes original work that blends theoretical development with empirical research on post-Soviet politics. The series includes work that progresses comparative analysis of post-Soviet politics, as well as case study research on political change in individual post-Soviet states. The series features original research monographs, thematically strong edited collections and specialized texts.
Uniquely, this series brings together the complete spectrum of work on post-Soviet politics, providing a voice for academics worldwide.
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Georgia from National Awakening to Rose Revolution
Delayed Transition in the Former Soviet Union
JONATHAN WHEATLEY
Free University Berlin, Germany
First published 2005 by Ashgate Publishing
Published 2016 by Routledge
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Copyright 2005 Jonathan Wheatley
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Wheatley, Jonathan
Georgia from national awakening to Rose Revolution : delayed transition in the former Soviet Union. -
(Post-Soviet politics)
1. Georgia (Republic) - Politics and government - 1991-
I. Title
320.94758
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wheatley, Jonathan, 1964-
Georgia from national awakening to Rose Revolution : delayed transition in the former Soviet Union / by Jonathan Wheatley.
p. cm. -- (Post-Soviet politics)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7546-4503-7
1. Georgia (Republic)--Politics and government--1991- 2. Democracy--Georgia (Republic) 3. Former Soviet republics--Politics and government. 4. Democracy--Former Soviet republics. 5. Comparative government. I. Title. II. Series.
JQ1759.7.A58W43 2005
947.58086--dc22
2005017371
ISBN 9780754645030 (hbk)
ISBN 9781138259164 (pbk)
Contents
This book project began in 1999, the main theme of which was to be democratization in a small and little known former Soviet republic. Since its inception both the project and the polity on which it has focused have been reconceptualized and restructured. First, it soon became clear to me that the notion of democratization was itself an oversimplification of a reality in which the informal rules of the game often took precedence over the formal institutions of statehood. This realization was informed by the inspiring, if sobering, conversations I had in Georgia in 2001 and 2002, which brought home to me how helpless most citizens of that country felt about their ability to change not only the political life of the state, but also their own personal and professional circumstances. Later, the ground shifted once again as peaceful demonstrations forced the resignation of President Eduard Shevardnadze in what became known as the Rose Revolution. This event thrust Georgia into the limelight and onto television screens across the world, and this little known Soviet republic became a talking point for journalists, world leaders and political scientists alike. The Rose Revolution also provided new impetus and material for this book as I had the unique opportunity to observe the events first hand.
Since my first visit to Georgia in 1997, the country has been on a rollercoaster ride between hope and despair. The joy in the faces of those who thronged Tbilisis main thoroughfare, Rustaveli Avenue, following President Eduard Shevardnadzes resignation on 23 November 2003 was contagious and imbued all those present with inspiration and great hope for the future. Since then, as the ever distracted eyes of the world have shifted to other dramas in other corners of the world, the exitement has cooled and the focus has shifted once again to the very real problems that Georgia still faces. It is the task of this book to look beyond the mood swings and to give a more sober assessment of events.
The data presented in this book has been obtained from both primary and secondary sources. Primary source material was collected over a four-year period from 2001 to 2004 by means of 160 interviews with politicians, state bureaucrats, political scientists and representatives of NGOs. Wherever possible, all information obtained during interviews was cross-checked with secondary sources. These secondary sources were mainly media reports obtained via the Internet. These included online copies of the Georgian Times, the Georgian Messenger, and 24 Hours, as well as the BBC Monitoring Service, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Civil Georgia online magazine. I was also able to obtain hard copies of the weekly English language edition of the Georgian daily newspaper, Rezonansi for the period November 1997 to June 1999. Finally, back copies of official Russian language newspapers Zariya Vostoka and Svobodnaya Gruziya from the late 1980s and early 1990s provided extremely useful information of events in Georgia during the dying days of the Soviet Union.
Georgia captivates and enchants those who visit her. Few visitors remain untouched either by the warmth of her welcome or by the often tragic events that have convulsed her. For this reason, I will break with tradition and first acknowledge all those in Georgia who have helped me to write this book before turning to my colleagues in the European Union. I would first like to thank Ghia Nodia of the Caucasian Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development, who read the manuscript in its early days and offered valuable and constructive criticism. I am also very grateful to George Nizharadze of the International Centre of Conflict and Negotiation for his input into the research that informed the last chapters of this book. Others whose insights were an inspiration for me include Armen Amirkhanian, Marine Chitashvili, Zaur Khalilov, Giorgi Meskhidze, Marina Muskhelishvili, Alexander Rondeli and Nestan Tatarashvili. Finally, I would like to thank my compatriots Peter Nasmyth and John Wright for our long and illuminating conversations on different aspects of Georgian politics over fine Georgian beer in many of Tbilisis bars.
