1921 all over again
Wednesday, August 13
Yes, history is repeating itself!
The most unexpected things happen in Georgia. No one anywhere in the world could have predicted that tiny Georgia could now be in danger of being wiped off the map.
After bombarding the country from the air the Russian army has begun an operation to try and take over the whole of Georgia. Now is not the time to discuss the reason for such developments.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING NOW IS TO STOP AGGRESSION !
Let us dig into history.
The leaders of the first Georgian Democratic Republic (1918-1921) tried to build a democratic state. The Social Democrats then in power aimed to institute a high level democratic system. Unfortunately the Georgian experiment lasted for a very short time. In February 1921 the 11th Russian Red Army occupied and annexed Georgia.
Since reestablishing its independence in 1991 Georgia has been under permanent pressure from Russia due to its independent orientation towards the West and democratic values. This has resulted in the current situation. But Georgia is determined to stand firm for its statehood. All political bodies are unanimous in their support for the state.
Parallels are often drawn between the situation now and that in 1921. However “we are not alone now as we were then. We will not allow history to repeat itself,” as Minister of Justice Nika Gvaramia has stated.
It must be said however that so far the verbal or humanitarian support Georgia has received has not stopped the Russian invaders, but on the contrary made them even more cynical. Russia’s confidence that no one would lift a finger to support Georgia was confirmed at the Bucharest NATO summit in April. There Russia blackmailed certain European countries who thus refused to grant Georgia the NATO Membership Action Plan –MAP. The hands of the criminal became unbound, his face unmasked.
The message that the West would not confront Russia for Georgia’s sake was received and understood by analysts and politicians. This encouraged the Kremlin to adopt an aggressive attitude, with conduct to match. However it did not diminish Tbilisi’s enthusiasm for the West. Georgia continued to pursue the West whilst Russia continued to be aggressive. The West did not take Moscow and its arrogance seriously. It did not believe it would actually do anything. Maybe the current catastrophic situation is the result of this error.
Those who have analysed the events of 1918-1921 say that the main reason for the Russian invasion then was the socialist political orientation of the Georgian leadership. Today Tbilisi is clearly Western oriented. Yet still the Russians come and occupy our country.
What is next?
The most unexpected things happen in Georgia. No one anywhere in the world could have predicted that tiny Georgia could now be in danger of being wiped off the map.
After bombarding the country from the air the Russian army has begun an operation to try and take over the whole of Georgia. Now is not the time to discuss the reason for such developments.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING NOW IS TO STOP AGGRESSION !
Let us dig into history.
The leaders of the first Georgian Democratic Republic (1918-1921) tried to build a democratic state. The Social Democrats then in power aimed to institute a high level democratic system. Unfortunately the Georgian experiment lasted for a very short time. In February 1921 the 11th Russian Red Army occupied and annexed Georgia.
Since reestablishing its independence in 1991 Georgia has been under permanent pressure from Russia due to its independent orientation towards the West and democratic values. This has resulted in the current situation. But Georgia is determined to stand firm for its statehood. All political bodies are unanimous in their support for the state.
Parallels are often drawn between the situation now and that in 1921. However “we are not alone now as we were then. We will not allow history to repeat itself,” as Minister of Justice Nika Gvaramia has stated.
It must be said however that so far the verbal or humanitarian support Georgia has received has not stopped the Russian invaders, but on the contrary made them even more cynical. Russia’s confidence that no one would lift a finger to support Georgia was confirmed at the Bucharest NATO summit in April. There Russia blackmailed certain European countries who thus refused to grant Georgia the NATO Membership Action Plan –MAP. The hands of the criminal became unbound, his face unmasked.
The message that the West would not confront Russia for Georgia’s sake was received and understood by analysts and politicians. This encouraged the Kremlin to adopt an aggressive attitude, with conduct to match. However it did not diminish Tbilisi’s enthusiasm for the West. Georgia continued to pursue the West whilst Russia continued to be aggressive. The West did not take Moscow and its arrogance seriously. It did not believe it would actually do anything. Maybe the current catastrophic situation is the result of this error.
Those who have analysed the events of 1918-1921 say that the main reason for the Russian invasion then was the socialist political orientation of the Georgian leadership. Today Tbilisi is clearly Western oriented. Yet still the Russians come and occupy our country.
What is next?