Georgia on their mind

politics > caucasian > not so velvet
The velvet revolution in Georgia isn't exactly the triumph of democracy the West has been talking about now, is it?

..."Sandra Roelofs, the Dutch wife of the new Georgian president and hence the new first lady of Georgia, explained that her husband aspires to follow in the long tradition of strong Georgian leaders 'like Stalin and Beria'. Saakashvili started his march on Tbilisi last November with a rally in front of the statue of Stalin in his birthplace, Gori. Unfazed, the western media continue to chatter about Saakashvili's democratic credentials, even though his seizure of power was consolidated with more than 95% of the vote in a poll in January, and even though he said last week that he did not see the point of having any opposition deputies in the national parliament."

Fascinating article, disposes nicely of some current myths.
via the ever profound Barista