Caucasian Chaos

As the "new world order" evolves, the power bases continue to shift. As some traditional powers decline and others emerge, the world map reveals a series of seemingly drastic alterations. But are these alterations as drastic as they may appear to the casual observer?

Consider the strife now occurring within the trans-Caucasia region. With access to vast amounts of Caspian Sea oil, control of the pipeline that transports that oil, and possession of many other valuable resources, Georgia should be an important participant in global trade, but it is not as influential as it should be. The reason is that despite its wealth, Georgia is a land ravaged by civil war and instability. The havoc now wrought there will likely become more familiar to Western audiences as the US-led campaigns against terrorism continue.

Why is Georgia important? Not because it sponsors terrorism, but because its location will provide easier access to states such as Tajekistan and Chechnya where terrorists are thought to be hiding. The conflict is truly no simple matter to understand. Difficulties began soon after Sviad Gamsikurdia won the March 1990 Georgian Presidential elections. Groups opposed to Mr. Gamsikurdia claimed he was a "Georgian dictator". Mr. Gamsikurdia refused to resign and replied that he had won the largest plurality of the vote, and a crucial part of democracy was the ability to accept defeat. The opposition persisted. By September 1990 two districts (Abkhasia and Osessia" sought to break with the Gamsikurdia government. The scramble for weapons began, and slightly more than a year later chaos reigned.

On 16 February 1992 a de facto coalition government chose former Soviet foreign minister Edvard Shevardnadze to serve as President. Mr. Gamsikurdia allied with Abkhas rebels as his new political base to seek a way to restore his lost power. The standoff and civil strife that evolved from the various factions seemed almost more than Mr. Shevardnadze could solve. He asked Russia to dispatch sufficient soldiers and armaments to restore stability. Russia supported the Shevardnadze government in deference to the freely elected (and later Abkhasia-backed) Gamsikurdia bloc. The 30 April 1993 capture of the Abkhas capital induced guerrilla warfare that persists, still unsolved, still complicating Mr. Shevardnadze's efforts to create infrastructure. Legions of foreign mercenary soldiers still fight and die to defend his government. Mr. Shevardnadze owes his power to Russian intervention and leaders who seek to enhance their influence via distant domination.

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