Georgia (country)

[[File:Georgia — Location Map (2013) - GEO - UNOCHA.svg|thumb|right|195px|Map of Georgia.]]
{{cquote|Soviet colonialism sabotaged the foundations of a modern, liberal national state in Georgia.|||Stephen F. Jones, American Caucasus analyst.<ref>[https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stephen_F._Jones Stephen F. Jones]. ''Wikiquote.''</ref>}}
{{countrybox|Georgia
|flag = Flag_of_Georgia (country).svg
|pop =3,723,500
|GDP =16,324
|GDPPC =4,400
|life =74.4
|dev =0.844
|dem =4.7
|cor =5.3
|edu =0.862
|rel =81
}}
'''Georgia''' (Georgian: საქართველო ''Sakartvelo'') is a tiny (approximately half the size of the homonymous [[Fun:Georgia (U.S. state)|US state]]) country in eastern [[Europe]]. It is located in the Caucasus and borders [[Russia]], [[Armenia]], [[Azerbaijan]] and  [[Turkey]]. Georgia was formerly part of the [[Soviet Union]], just like most of its neighbors. Also, like those neighbors, its government is dominated by one party, the center-left (but socially conservative) {{wpl|Georgian Dream}}. It was also the birthplace of [[Joseph Stalin]] (under the name Ioseb Jughashvili/იოსებ ჯუღაშვილი). Its capital and largest city is Tbilisi.

Georgia is currently involved in a territorial dispute with the ''de facto'' independent regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which seceded from Georgia with the help of [[Vladimir Putin]]'s Russia.

==History==
===Prehistory===
Georgia was possibly the birthplace of [[wine]]; the oldest wine found to date, at 8,000 years old, was found there in 2003.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/now-thats-what-you-call-a-real-vintage-professor-unearths-8000-year-old-wine-84179.html Now that's what you call a real vintage: professor unearths 8,000-year-old wine]</ref> Interestingly, images of worshiping wine were found on the jars, and this may have been the origin of such gods as the [[Greek]] Dionysus and the [[Roman]] Bacchus. Some ancient metallurgical remnants were found in Georgia as well.<ref>[http://saunje.ge/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1533%3Athstoellner-igambashidze-the-gold-mine-of-sakdrisi-and-earliest-mining-and-metallurgy-in-the-transcaucasus-and-the-kura-valley-system&catid=1%3A2010-01-24-19-54-07&lang=ka The Gold Mine of Sakdrisi]</ref>

===Antiquity/Middle Ages===
In days past, Georgia was split into two kingdoms: {{wpl|Colchis}} in the west and {{wpl|Kingdom of Iberia|Iberia}} (not to be confused with the one in Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and Gibraltar) in the east. Colchis was an important location for [[Greco-Roman religion|Greek mythology]], with the Golden Fleece being located there. Iberia became part of the [[Persia]]n Empire, while Colchis was incorporated into Roman territories as Lazica for a while. Eventually, the unified Kingdom of Georgia was formed, but it fell apart circa 1466. After another few hundred years of strife, it was incorporated into the 
glorious
 Russian Empire from 1800 to the [[October Revolution]].

Medieval and modern Georgia (until the early 1800s) was home to the hilariously named (to English speakers) Bagration dynasty.

===Soviet Union===
{{main|Soviet Union}}
Soon after the October Revolution, the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic was formed, encompassing Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and small sections of eastern Turkey and southwestern Russia. Georgia exited one month and four days after the republic's formation, with Armenia and Azerbaijan following two days later.<ref>[http://omniatlas.com/maps/southasia/19180526/ Breakup of Transcaucasia]</ref> Georgia was then independent for less than three years as the Democratic Republic of Georgia, a ''Menshevik'' government.  It was absorbed by the Soviet Union after its military forces could not repel the Russians.

When Georgia was incorporated into the USSR in 1921, it retained its borders and extended just slightly past its current boundaries (including the disputed Abkhazia and South Ossetia). As a Soviet republic, it had a pseudo-capitalist economy. It somewhat resisted the communist economic system the USSR preferred, resulting in high ownership of cars and houses and making it one of the most economically prosperous divisions of the USSR.<ref>Svante Cornell, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070630141309/http://www.silkroadstudies.org/new/inside/publications/0419dissertation.pdf Autonomy and Conflict: Ethnoterritoriality and Separatism in the South Caucasus – Cases in Georgia], p. 149</ref> Eventually, Georgian nationalists began to clash with the Soviets, but Georgia remained in the union until the 1991 collapse.

===Rose Revolution===
[[File:Georgia, Tbilisi - Rose Revolution (2003).jpg|thumb|right|250px|Scene from the Rose Revolution.]]
The Rose Revolution, or in Georgian, ვარდების რევოლუცია (lit. Revolution of Roses), was a large-scale peaceful protest occurring across Georgia, which took place between November 3 and 23, 2003.<ref name="rose1">Giorgi Kandelaki, [https://www.usip.org/publications/2006/07/georgias-rose-revolution-participants-perspective Georgia's Rose Revolution - A Participant's Perspective]</ref> The protests resulted in the resignation of the nepotistic, corrupt<ref name="rose1"/><ref>[[The Telegraph]], [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10950980/Eduard-Shevardnadze-obituary.html Eduard Shevardnadze - obituary]</ref><ref>Natalia Antelava, [https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/postscript-eduard-shevardnadze-1928-2014 Postscript: Eduard Shevardnadze, 1928-2014]</ref> Soviet-era leader {{wpl|Eduard Shevardnadze}}, whose place was briefly taken by the conservative parliamentarian {{wpl|Nino Burjanadze}} until an election could be held. In the next election, {{wpl|Mikheil Saakashvili}} (the ''de facto'' leader of the revolution) won in a landslide with 96% of the votes and a large voter turnout of 80%.<ref>Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, [https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/georgia/24600?download=true Georgia, Extraordinary Presidential Election, 4 January 2004: Final Report]</ref> The protests may have helped inspire the [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] {{wpl|Orange Revolution}} of 2004<ref>Taras Kuzio, [http://kmlpj.ukma.edu.ua/article/view/88183/83977 The Orange and Euromaidan Revolutions: Theoretical and Comparative Perspectives]</ref> and the Armenian {{wpl|2018 Armenian Velvet Revolution|Velvet Revolution}} of 2018. 

Saakashvili wound up as president of Georgia until 2013 after this victory, although opponents accused him of electoral fraud.<ref>[[The Guardian|Tom Parfitt]], [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jan/07/georgia.international Opposition claims Georgia president rigged election victory]</ref> His administration was a mixed bag; although he had a pro-[[EU|European]] and [[globalist]] agenda<ref>[https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/05/20050510.html President (Bush) and President Saakashvili Discuss NATO, Democracy]</ref><ref>[https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-saakashvili-filat-kyiv-support-protesters/25193333.html Saakashvili, Filat Offer Support To Pro-EU Protesters]</ref><ref>Matthew Collin, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6433289.stm Georgia to double troops in Iraq]</ref> and helped eliminate rampant corruption,<ref>Georgia's corruption index dramatically improved -- [https://www.transparency.org/research/cpi/cpi_2004#results 2004] vs [https://web.archive.org/web/20120511044105/http://archive.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2008/cpi2008/cpi_2008_table 2008].</ref> his presidency was plagued by human rights abuses<ref>United Press International, [https://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2012/09/21/OHCHR-upset-over-Georgia-prison-video/UPI-95721348244378/ OHCHR upset over Georgia prison video]</ref><ref>Human Rights Watch, [https://www.hrw.org/news/2007/06/03/human-rights-watchs-open-letter-president-saakashvili Human Rights Watch's Open Letter to President Saakashvili]</ref> and authoritarianism.<ref>Claire Bigg, [https://www.rferl.org/a/saakashvili-mixed-legacy/25146918.html Mikheil Saakashvili's Polarizing Legacy]</ref><ref>Claire Bigg and Daisy Sindelar, [https://www.rferl.org/a/1079100.html Georgia: After Crackdown On Protests, President Calls Early Polls]</ref> In addition, his government failed to adequately protect protesters with unpopular ideologies like [[LGBT rights]] groups<ref>HRIDC, [http://humanrightshouse.org/Articles/18052.html HRIDC statement on the dispersal of LGBT organization Identoba's demonstration]</ref> (although Georgia is better with LGBT rights than its neighbors, with the parliament having unanimously approved anti-discrimination legislation that protects LGBT citizens,<ref>Civil.ge, [https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=27192 Anti-Discrimination Bill Adopted]</ref> and it is ranked a good deal higher by ILGA).<ref>[https://rainbow-europe.org/country-ranking Rainbow Europe - Country Ranking]</ref> Saakashvili tended to [[poisoning the well|dismiss the arguments against him by accusing his opponents of being pro-Russia]].

Eventually, Saakashvili and {{wpl|United National Movement (Georgia)|his party}} were kicked to the sidelines as the tycoon {{wpl|Bidzina Ivanishvili}} and his new {{wpl|Georgian Dream}} party coasted in on a wave of popular discontent with the president.<ref>[[BBC|BBC News]], [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18228575 Mass opposition rally in Tbilisi, Georgia]</ref> The presidential election held shortly after the parliamentary one resulted in the GD-associated candidate Giorgi Margvelashvili winning. Ivanishvili continued on essentially the same foreign policy path as Saakashvili but was considerably more corrupt and is thought by some to still be calling the shots behind the scenes due to GD's continued dominance.<ref>Giorgi Lomsadze, [https://eurasianet.org/node/70911?utm_ Georgia: Political Crisis Prompts Speculation About Ivanishvili’s Political Role]</ref> Saakashvili was rather bombastic and populist, while the current administration is less revolution-minded, and little of note has happened under its control.

==Corruption and authoritarianism==
[[File:Parliament of Georgia in Kutaisi.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Georgia's bland-looking parliament chamber.]]
Corruption was rampant until the Saakashvili administration of 2004 to 2013, with Soviet Georgia being considered corrupt even for a Soviet country. It decreased hugely throughout Saakashvili's presidency, but  experienced a resurgence with the advent of Georgian Dream.

===Electoral fraud===
====Saakashvili administration====
Although Saakashvili did a remarkable job of crushing corruption, OSCE observers assessed the 2008 presidential election as wrought with electoral fraud.<ref>[http://www.dw.com/en/charges-of-fraud-surface-in-georgian-election/a-3049934 Charges of Fraud Surface in Georgian Election] - "It also appears that there was also voting fraud, the head of the OSCE observer mission said Thursday, Jan. 10. [...] Saakashvili won a majority of the votes, the election commission said. [...] 'There was crass, negligent and deliberate falsification during the vote counting,' German diplomat Dieter Boden said in an interview published in the ''Frankfurter Runschau'' newspaper. [...] Not only did OSCE observers report incidents of fraud during Saturday's vote, but conditions at Georgia's Central Elections Commission were 'chaotic,' Boden said."</ref> However, some thought the electoral fraud wasn't widespread enough to have influenced the outcome of the election.<ref>Robert Parsons, [https://www.opendemocracy.net/article/mikheil_saakashvili_s_bitter_victory Mikheil Saakashvili's bitter victory].</ref>

====2015 on====
In the polls leading up to the 2016 parliamentary election in Georgia, only 19% of respondents selected the ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party as their first choice.<ref>[http://www.iri.org/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/georgia_2016.pdf Public Opinion Survey - Residents of Georgia (p. 96)]</ref> Despite this low approval, the party won a whopping 115 of the 150 seats (partially due to the weird representation system of Georgia).<ref>{{wpa | 2016 Georgian parliamentary election}}</ref> Opposition parties accused Georgian Dream of vote-rigging,<ref>
[http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/10/09/488260/Georgia-CEC-Dream-party-United-National-Movement-Nika-Melia Georgia ruling party leads in parliamentary polls: Early results]</ref>
which is quite plausible. Although parties and people may win elections with a low approval rating, the massive disparity between opinion polling and electoral results looks suspicious.

==Abkhazia/South Ossetia territorial disputes==
[[File:Georgia high detail map.png|thumb|right|300px|This is why Georgia can't join NATO: disputed land (Abkhazia in green; South Ossetia in purple).]]
===Abkhazia===
{{main|Abkhazia}}
'''Abkhazia''' is a province in northwestern Georgia. It is primarily inhabited by ethnic Abkhazians rather than Georgians like the rest of the country, who speak an entirely unrelated language, and there are some ethnic tensions between the two. Abkhazia has attempted to secede from Georgia and has been aided by Russia (rather in the manner of [[Nagorno-Karabakh]]). Few nations recognize Abkhazia as independent,<ref>[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Abkhazia_and_South_Ossetia_recognition.svg A map of the international recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia]</ref> and Georgia asserts its right to the territory. Elections may be illegitimate, as ethnic Georgians have been denied the right to vote.<ref>Encyclopaedia Britannica, [https://www.britannica.com/place/Abkhazia Abkhazia]</ref> Most Abkhazians support independence, with a smaller percentage supporting Russian annexation and a very tiny percentage supporting Georgian unification.<ref>Gerard Toal and John O'Loughlin, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2014/03/20/how-people-in-south-ossetia-abkhazia-and-transnistria-feel-about-annexation-by-russia/?utm_term=.79176ea4ac98 How people in South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Transnistria feel about annexation by Russia]</ref> Currently, the conflict is unresolved.

===South Ossetia===
{{main|South Ossetia}}
'''South Ossetia''' is not an actual province in Georgia (well, it used to be, thanks to later-reversed, Soviet-era ethnic gerrymandering), but a region encompassing parts of several. It borders Russia and, like Abkhazia, has been aided in its secession by Russia. It and Abkhazia were the cause of the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, with both fighting against Georgia alongside Russia and winning. Ethnic cleansing against various ethnic groups residing in the area was conducted by Ossetians.<ref>MPIL, [http://www.mpil.de/en/pub/publications/archive/independent_international_fact.cfm Independent International Fact-Finding Mission
on the Conflict in Georgia, vol II] (p. 94)</ref>

==Gallery==
<center><gallery widths=225px heights=225px>
File:2014 Tbilisi, Widoki z Twierdzy Narikala (13).jpg|Tbilisi, Georgia's capital.
File:Ajapsandali - Georgian eggplant stew.jpg|Georgian eggplant stew.
File:268A5992 HDR.jpg|Georgia's rugged Caucasian landscape.
File:Alfa lebedev1.JPG|Georgian race car drivers.
File:Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi 07.jpg|Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi.
File:Female Georgian Shepherd - Khevi, Georgia (3).jpg|A Georgian Shepherd dog in Khevi.
</gallery></center>

==See also==
*{{wpa|Georgia (country)|Georgia}}
*{{wpa|Kingdom of Georgia}} (1008 CE - 1490 CE)
*{{wpa|Russo-Georgian War}}
==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}
{{nationbox}}

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[[Category:European countries]]

Categories: Middle Eastern countries, Asian countries, European countries