Eight and a Half Years: Georgian-style Modernization

The article examines Georgia’s experience after the 2003 Rose Revolution. The author draws attention to the successes and failures of the modernization policy enacted by the Georgian government. While examining the post-revolution period, the author draws attention to the developments of November 2007, when mass protests were brutally suppressed, marking the beginning of a chain of events, including the fraudulent presidential election in January, the parliamentary election in May and the war with Russia in August 2008. The author argues that the Georgian authorities had entered since a “self-preservation mode”, i.e. their priority was no longer to further modernize the country, but to stay in power at any cost. In the upcoming Parliamentary election, the main question is whether the country will turn towards democracy, pluralism, and fair competition, i.e. will Georgia gain new impetus toward modernization, or will it become bogged down in authoritarian tendencies?

Authors: Ivlian Haindrava
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