The thing is that the elites that the Rose and the Orange Revolutions (I don't think the Tulip Revo really counts; it was born dead) brought to power haven't done anything to address the underlying problems of their countries. Neither engaged in the very difficult and dirty work of de-oligarching their societes (unlike, say, Putin). They also have made no progress on resolving any of the ethnic dispytes/conflicts that exist in both Ukraine and Georgia, especially Georgia, where there are like 20 different ethnic groups and don't like each other. Instead all they've done is appeal to a future hypotherical paradise when Ukraine and Georgia are in the EU and NATO (which I don't think will ever happen) and appeal to nationalism. Appeals to nationalism do not work well in multiethnic countries, since they alienate the minorities (who get painted as being in league with foreign dark forces).
It's been four years and Georgians have seen little improvement. Same thing as in 2003.
--- Charles Brown <charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> wrote:
> >
> ^^^^^^^
> CB: When you say the rose rev" bites it", do you
> mean the protests
> indicate the government is ....?
>
>
>
>
> Strategic Culture Foundation (Russia)
> November 11, 2007
>
> Georgia: A Second "Revolution of Roses"?
> Aleksander B. Krylov
>
> An acute political crisis broke up in Goergia in
> November again.
>
> This has a symbolic meaning for the Georgian
> opposition, because it was the month of November in
> 2003 when the "revolution of roses" won its victory
> in
> Georgia, and a year later, the "orange revolution"
> in
> Ukraine.
>
> Today there are no more illusions as to the
> existence
> of "victorious democracy" in either Georgia or
> Ukraine.
>
> The list of principal achievements of the
> "revolution
> of roses" includes the dismissal of A. Abashidze and
> the "reintegration" of Adjaria, the re-organisation
> of
> the Georgian Defence Ministry and that country's
> participation in operations in Iraq.
>
> All these "achievements" are very remote from
> Georgia's national interests, to put it mildly.
>
> The actual abolishment of Adjaria's autonomy
> demonstrated to Abkhasians and Ossetians what the
> promises to safeguard the rights of ethnic
> minorities
> Tbilisi made were worth.
>
> As a result a peaceful settlement of the Abkhazia
> and
> South Ossetia problems became even harder to
> achieve.
>
> On top of that, the living standards of most of
> Adjaria's population now under control of the
> current
> Tbilisi rulers went down considerably as compared to
> the time of Abashidze.
>
> rest at:
> http://en.fondsk.ru/article.php?id=1050
>
>
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