Georgia on verge of revolution

[basho007]

anyone knowledgeable about what the US troops in Georgia are doing?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3227878.stm

Georgia 'on verge of revolution'

Opposition supporters have been gathering from outside the capital
Georgia's main opposition leader has vowed to "trample" the country's
leadership as supporters gathered for protests in the capital Tbilisi.
Mikhail Saakashvili said a "bloodless revolution" was going on after
official results gave the government victory in parliamentary elections.

The protests came as a senior ally of President Eduard Shevardnadze joined
calls for a new vote.

Security Council head Tedo Japaridze said the poll had been marred by
fraud.



====================

and from:
http://www.rferl.org/nca/features/2003/11/13112003193126.asp

JANE'S INTELLIGENCE DIGEST:

An analysis by "Jane's Intelligence Digest" says Georgia's 2 November
parliamentary elections were "a disaster waiting to happen." While final
results have not yet been announced, the large gap between pre-election
opinion polls and preliminary results has prompted many observers to accuse
President Eduard Shevardnadze and his For A New Georgia party of
manipulating the vote.

Interim returns indicate Shevardnadze's party enjoys the support of more
than 20 percent of the population, while early surveys placed this closer
to the 7-percent mark. Supporters of the opposition continued to rally last
night outside Georgia's Parliament building, some calling for
Shevardnadze's resignation.

"Jane's" says the "escalating destabilization" in Georgia is "playing into
the hands of the Kremlin hard-liners who have their own agenda for
subversion" in the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his close
circle of former KGB supporters "have been developing a strategy to oust
Shevardnadze over the past two years."

Some of the Georgian president's policies -- particularly growing military
cooperation with the United States -- have caused concern in Moscow. Thus,
the Kremlin has moved to create a Georgian "government-in-waiting" based in
Moscow and led by exiled Lieutenant General Igor Giorgadze, a former KGB
colonel and chairman of Georgia's State Security Service.

"Popular disillusionment with the government, fuelled by economic
difficulties, [is] also encouraging mass demonstrations against the
president and his administration." But Russian agents are actively working
to foment unrest. The overthrow of Shevardnadze and the resulting disorder
may enable Moscow to finally install Giorgadze in Tbilisi.

As protests continue, Georgia risks descending into civil war -- an outcome
"Jane's" warns will only benefit the Kremlin's hard-liners.

[shawnOmatic]

I just got an email from one of the bloggers at smartmobs.com
suggesting we ask one of our users (textamerica.com) to start a page
about what is happening in Georgia. Briefly, our site allows anyone to
send images instantly to a web site. Although we focus on camera
phones, any email account with work to send images and text to a
"moblog" on our service (its all free).

This isn't spam - we have been getting multiple new users daily,
"moblogging" on all kinds of newsworthy topics and again, this idea
was given to me by one of our contemporaries. If you or someone you
know is taking photos or can do so, please sign up for a free account
at textamerica.com and broadcast what is happening in your world.

TA

Post by basho007
anyone knowledgeable about what the US troops in Georgia are doing?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3227878.stm
Georgia 'on verge of revolution'
Opposition supporters have been gathering from outside the capital
Georgia's main opposition leader has vowed to "trample" the country's
leadership as supporters gathered for protests in the capital Tbilisi.
Mikhail Saakashvili said a "bloodless revolution" was going on after
official results gave the government victory in parliamentary elections.
The protests came as a senior ally of President Eduard Shevardnadze joined
calls for a new vote.
Security Council head Tedo Japaridze said the poll had been marred by
fraud.
====================
http://www.rferl.org/nca/features/2003/11/13112003193126.asp
An analysis by "Jane's Intelligence Digest" says Georgia's 2 November
parliamentary elections were "a disaster waiting to happen." While final
results have not yet been announced, the large gap between pre-election
opinion polls and preliminary results has prompted many observers to accuse
President Eduard Shevardnadze and his For A New Georgia party of
manipulating the vote.
Interim returns indicate Shevardnadze's party enjoys the support of more
than 20 percent of the population, while early surveys placed this closer
to the 7-percent mark. Supporters of the opposition continued to rally last
night outside Georgia's Parliament building, some calling for
Shevardnadze's resignation.
"Jane's" says the "escalating destabilization" in Georgia is "playing into
the hands of the Kremlin hard-liners who have their own agenda for
subversion" in the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his close
circle of former KGB supporters "have been developing a strategy to oust
Shevardnadze over the past two years."
Some of the Georgian president's policies -- particularly growing military
cooperation with the United States -- have caused concern in Moscow. Thus,
the Kremlin has moved to create a Georgian "government-in-waiting" based in
Moscow and led by exiled Lieutenant General Igor Giorgadze, a former KGB
colonel and chairman of Georgia's State Security Service.
"Popular disillusionment with the government, fuelled by economic
difficulties, [is] also encouraging mass demonstrations against the
president and his administration." But Russian agents are actively working
to foment unrest. The overthrow of Shevardnadze and the resulting disorder
may enable Moscow to finally install Giorgadze in Tbilisi.
As protests continue, Georgia risks descending into civil war -- an outcome
"Jane's" warns will only benefit the Kremlin's hard-liners.