Georgia emerged from breakup of the Soviet Union divided by its own separatist conflicts and afflicted with corruption and poverty. It has transformed in recent years into one of the more democratic countries in the region thanks largely to reforms by the government of President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Since coming to power in a bloodless coup called the Rose Revolution in 2003, Mr. Saakashvili has guided his country towards greater integration with the West, seeking membership in NATO and the European Union and sending Georgian troops to fight with American forces in Iraq -- moves that have soured once-friendly relations with Russia, Georgia's far-larger neighbor to the north.
Mr. Saakashvili also put a high priority on reuniting three regions that refused to recognize federal rule: Ajaria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. He found quick success in Ajaria, a Black Sea region on the border with Turkey. Mr. Shaakashvili had hoped to woo South Ossetia back before tackling Abkhazia, but his overtures in 2005 were spurned.
In November 2007, opponents angry about corruption took to the streets in protests that were violently broken up by the police. In response, Mr. Shaakvashvili called for a special election. On Jan. 5, 2008, he was reelected to a new five-year term with 52 percent of the vote.
At the same time, voters approved a referendum on seeking membership in NATO, a popular idea after years of standoffs with Russia over Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The NATO bid further angered Russia, which in the spring of 2008, announced that it was expanding its support for the two breakaway regions.
War broke out in August 2008 when Georgia attacked Russian-backed separatists in Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia. Russia responded by sending troops into South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and then driving deep into Georgia.
After meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in September 2008, President Dmitri A. Medvedev announced that Russia had agreed to withdraw its troops by mid-October from its positions outside the two regions. But Mr. Medvedev said Russia would stand by its decision to recognize the two breakaway regions as independent nations. The United States and its allies denounced the decision, saying that Georgia must not be broken apart and contending that Russia was violating the cease-fire framework that it signed to halt the fighting.
Human Rights Watch released a comprehensive report of the brief war in January 2009, accusing both Russia and Georgia of using indiscriminate force on civilians. It also said Russia had failed to prevent South Ossetian forces from carrying out "execution-style killings, rape, abductions and countless beatings."
In March 2009, Georgian authorities arrested nine members of an opposition party on weapons charges, as tensions mounted ahead of April protests to call for President Mikheil Saakashvili to step down. Georgia's fragmented opposition began gathering its forces within weeks of the August war with Russia, but the conflict bolstered popular support for Mr. Saakashvili and earlier protests passed with little effect.
In April 2009 tens of thousands of protesters marched through the streets of the capital city bearing signs and chanting slogans against Mr. Saakashvili and demanding his resigination.
Georgia announced on May 5 that it had put down a brief military mutiny that aimed to disrupt NATO military exercises, ratcheting up tensions a day before the exercises were scheduled to begin over Russian objections. The government accused Tbilisi's leaders of planning the uprising.
In May 2010 voters in Tbilisi appeared to have overwhelmingly endorsed Mr. Saakashvili's ruling party in municipal elections, barely a year after opposition parties had thronged the streets vowing to force him from office.
Mr. Saakashvili had declared that the mayor of Tbilisi would for the first time be directly elected by voters, and moved up nationwide local elections from October to May. The changes were part of a package of reforms intended to placate opposition leaders, who blamed him for leading the country into war with Russia.
Early results from the Central Election Commission gave a commanding lead to the incumbent mayor, Gigi Ugulava, a longtime political ally of Mr. Saakashvili. Mr. Saakashvili's United National Movement appeared to shut out the opposition in nationwide municipal races, which elect city councils,
The race in Tbilisi, in particular, was seen as an indicator of who may run to succeed Mr. Saakashvili when his term ends in 2013, and deflated the expectations of Georgia's opposition, which counts Tbilisi, home to more than a quarter of the electorate, as its most important stronghold.
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12/01/2011 08:00 AM
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Political Standoff Escalates in South Ossetia Over Disputed Vote
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Thousands protested in the Georgian enclave on Wednesday following the invalidation of a presidential election that seemed to favor their candidate over a Kremlin-backed one.
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11/11/2011 08:00 AM
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Russia Clears Last Hurdle for W.T.O. Membership
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Russia cleared the last major obstacle in its 18-year effort to join the World Trade Organization by overcoming a thorny dispute with Georgia tied to commerce.
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11/03/2011 07:00 AM
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Russia Says It Will Join W.T.O. in Deal With Georgia
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After 18 years of delay, ambivalence and frustration, Russia reached an agreement with Georgia, clearing the path for the nation to join the World Trade Organization.
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10/31/2011 07:00 AM
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Russian Aide Suggests W.T.O. Issues Can Be Resolved Soon
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The adviser indicated that the obstacles to Russia joining the World Trade Organization could be resolved in a matter of hours after 18 years of stop-and-go negotiations.
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10/28/2011 08:00 AM
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Georgians Approve Compromise on W.T.O. Membership for Russia
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Georgian officials said they had accepted a Swiss compromise that would allow Russia to join the World Trade Organization in December. The Russians said they would answer next week.
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10/09/2011 08:00 AM
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Georgia Says It’s Ready to Block Russia W.T.O Bid
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A Georgian negotiator said Saturday that Georgia was prepared to veto Russia’s membership, despite American support for Russia’s bid.
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10/07/2011 08:00 AM
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Putin Urges Choice on Adding Russia to W.T.O.
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Russia’s principal trading partners should decide soon whether to admit Russia to the World Trade Organization, and not leave the decision to Georgia, Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin said Thursday.
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10/05/2011 08:00 AM
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Russia Says It’s Close to Joining the W.T.O.
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Russia’s accession to the W.T.O. has been a key goal of the “reset” between Russia and the United States, a reconciliation whose future is uncertain amid political change.
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09/09/2011 08:00 AM
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For Abkhazia, Recognition Is Coming Piece by Piece
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 Shunned by all but a handful of countries, Abkhazia is considered a global power among the spotted-tile enthusiasts of world domino competition.
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09/01/2011 08:00 AM
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A Counterproductive Disdain
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The West acts against its interests in ignoring presidential elections in the breakaway territory of Abkhazia.
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08/30/2011 08:00 AM
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Tatishvili, an Open Rookie, Has Queens Roots
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 Anna Tatishvili, a rising player from Tbilisi, Georgia, has deeper roots in the city’s tennis scene than some native New Yorkers.
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08/29/2011 08:00 AM
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Tatishvili, an Open Rookie, Has Queens Roots
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Anna Tatishvili, a rising player from Tbilisi, Georgia, has deeper roots in the city’s tennis scene than some native New Yorkers.
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