Comments on: Georgia Diary: A Chronicle of War and Political Chaos in the Post-Soviet Caucasus http://blog.oneworld.am/2008/05/09/georgia-diary-a-chronicle-of-war-and-political-chaos-in-the-post-soviet-caucasus/ News, Photography, Blogs & Analysis Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:41:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Onnik Krikorian http://blog.oneworld.am/2008/05/09/georgia-diary-a-chronicle-of-war-and-political-chaos-in-the-post-soviet-caucasus/#comment-7170 Onnik Krikorian Sat, 10 May 2008 10:31:59 +0000 http://blog.oneworld.am/2008/05/09/georgia-diary-a-chronicle-of-war-and-political-chaos-in-the-post-soviet-caucasus/#comment-7170 It's old now, but well worth a read to think back on the situation eight years ago to compare it with now. What's changed and what hasn't, I wonder? <blockquote>Remembering a winter of discontent: letter from the South Caucasus. Goltz, Thomas. Source: Washington Quarterly v. 23 no3 (Summer 2000) p. 69-76 Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Spring again in the Caucasus! The mountain snow caps melt away; the rivers carry rich brown torrents to the lowlands, which riot in greens and reds and yellows as new private landowners till and sow. Folks smile for the first time after the long, cold, dreary months of winter. And if we in the West have any say about people's happiness in year 2000, Eduard Shevardnadze will have won a clean victory in the Georgian presidential sweepstakes, Heydar Aliyev will have stamped out endemic corruption in Azerbaijan, and Robert Kocharian will have brought Armenia back from political bloodshed and internecine strife. Fat chance. After the happy summer and sublime autumn of the Caucasus 2000, get ready for a real winter of discontent--and don't tell me I didn't warn you. This should surprise no one who has spent more than a few hours outside the fancy new hotels in the area's capital cities. The social stage is set for upheaval: A depressing déjà vu of the collapse of the Caucasus republics that emerged in 1918, only to be reabsorbed by Bolshevik Russia in 1920. Whether Russian president Vladmir Putin can be the one to play that particular role after all the nasty associations with Moscow's post-Soviet imperialism remains to be seen. But if the harsh, dreary winter of 1999-2000 is any indication, things are going to get a lot harsher and drearier by the time winter rolls in again.</blockquote> http://www.stlawu.edu/govt/376ReservesGoltz.html It’s old now, but well worth a read to think back on the situation eight years ago to compare it with now. What’s changed and what hasn’t, I wonder?

Remembering a winter of discontent:
letter from the South Caucasus.

Goltz, Thomas. Source: Washington Quarterly v. 23 no3 (Summer 2000) p. 69-76

Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Spring again in the Caucasus! The mountain snow caps melt away; the rivers carry rich brown torrents to the lowlands, which riot in greens and reds and yellows as new private landowners till and sow. Folks smile for the first time after the long, cold, dreary months of winter. And if we in the West have any say about people’s happiness in year 2000, Eduard Shevardnadze will have won a clean victory in the Georgian presidential sweepstakes, Heydar Aliyev will have stamped out endemic corruption in Azerbaijan, and Robert Kocharian will have brought Armenia back from political bloodshed and internecine strife.

Fat chance. After the happy summer and sublime autumn of the Caucasus 2000, get ready for a real winter of discontent–and don’t tell me I didn’t warn you. This should surprise no one who has spent more than a few hours outside the fancy new hotels in the area’s capital cities. The social stage is set for upheaval: A depressing déjà vu of the collapse of the Caucasus republics that emerged in 1918, only to be reabsorbed by Bolshevik Russia in 1920. Whether Russian president Vladmir Putin can be the one to play that particular role after all the nasty associations with Moscow’s post-Soviet imperialism remains to be seen. But if the harsh, dreary winter of 1999-2000 is any indication, things are going to get a lot harsher and drearier by the time winter rolls in again.

http://www.stlawu.edu/govt/376ReservesGoltz.html

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