South Ossetia's separatist administration has said Russia was failing to honor a pledge to spend millions of dollars repairing the devastation from last year's war in the breakaway Georgian region.
Protest season is beginning already in Georgia, ahead of April 9, when the official opposition protests against Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili start.
Millions of people flock from Central Asia to Russia in search of work. But a far less documented trend is illicit labor migration from Central Asia to the United States. Kyrgyz-born scholar Saltanat Liebert is one of the first to study the phenomenon in depth.
Veteran journalist Inga Grigolia has announced her resignation from the post of deputy director-general of Georgia's Public Broadcaster to protest the decision not to air an interview with former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili.
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has been critical of comments made by his Georgian counterpart Mikheil Saakashvili, who said the Armenian economy had "virtually collapsed."
Irakli Alasania, the former Georgian ambassador to the UN now seen as a potential successor to President Mikheil Saakashvili, has warned that "we should not become hostages" to the radicalism that he said pervades "a large part" of Georgian society.
The Eurovision website says Georgia is being asked to revise the lyrics to its entry, "We Don't Wanna Put In," to remove the less-than-subtle dig at Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by the group Stefane & 3G.
Recent media reports in Georgia and the West have fueled speculation that a second round of military conflict between Moscow and Tbilisi could resume as early as the spring. But Georgian officials point to one main reason why this is unlikely: the U.S.-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership signed early this year.
The Eurovision Song Contest's organizers have told Georgia on March 10 to change the lyrics of its entry, which takes a swipe at Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, reviled in Georgia since its war with Russia last summer.
The International Monetary Fund has released a grim economic forecast for Central Asia and the Caucasus, as the effects of the global financial crisis rock the region. Plummeting energy prices, a fall in remittances from Russia, and the difficulty in obtaining foreign capital are all contributing factors.
Atmospherics are important in diplomacy, but only to the extent that they facilitate tough negotiations. David J. Smith warns that if Hillary Clinton sticks to articulated principles, she faces very tough talks.
In recent weeks, senior Georgian political figures have made a series of public statements in response to persistent media speculation about a possible new Russian military operation against Georgia. The consensus is that no such attack is likely in the immediate future. But at the same time, top officials have hinted over the past week that Russia may seek instead to co-opt Georgian politicians now living in Russia in a bid to fuel domestic political tensions.
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