Hello everyone,
Welcome to the tenth episode of my podcast - Eyes on Eurasia with Glen Howard. Today I venture into the little-discussed world of the South Caucasus to examine the recent turmoil in Abkhazia. We are joined in this podcast by Ghia Nodia, Professor of Politics at Ilia Chavachadze State University in Tbilisi and Chairman of the Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development.
Ghia will be discussing the recent unrest in Abkhazia and will share his thoughts on the situation in Georgia’s breakaway province. Abkhazia experienced a bloody Russian-backed conflict in 1993 effectively ending Georgian rule that resulted in the creation of a Russian-backed protectorate still in existence for the past several decades. One of Abkhazia’s enduring features is it is blessed with a subtropical climate and an undeveloped beachfront property long coveted by Kremlin generals and Russia’s policymaking elite.
Ghia will update us on the situation inside Abkhazia and examine whether recent unrest in the Abkhazian capital of Sukhumi could become an Abkhaz version of Ukraine’s 2014 “Maidan” revolution. Ghia will also update us on the tense political situation in Georgia following the October 26 parliamentary elections and the ongoing political standoff between the Georgian Dream-ruled government and the Georgian opposition that has disrupted Georgia’s political stability for the past year.
Please note that the taping of this episode occurred before the resignation of Abakhazian President Aslan Bzhania on Tuesday, November 19. The situation in Abkhazia continues to evolve as Bzhania’s resignation was a concession to Abkhaz protestors who agreed to end their occupation of government buildings upon his resignation.
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