Saakashvili and the developments in Ajara

ajara is the only autonomous region in the South Caucasus that never fought an armed conflict with its central government. In the Georgian context, the non-violent resolution of the ajara crisis following the Rose revolution makes a particular sense compared to the situation in South-Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The main event of this period is of course the departure of the ajara ruler Aslan Abashidze, whose ancestors occupied the function of sandjak bay and for that reason a big role in Ajaran politics1, in May 2004 after an escalation of tensions with the new Georgian President, Mikhail Saakachvili. As a consequence, Saakachvili was given credit both in Georgia and on the international scene for this first success as President of Georgia.

But understanding Saakachvili's influence on the developments in ajara requires much more than history of the events that led to Abashidze's departure. First of all, the rise and the revolution of the Ajaran crises are understandable only if the economical and ethno-religious specificities of ajara are considered. Secondly, it seems necessary to analyze Abashidze's miscalculations and the regime of which they are the product. Finally, we will pay a particular attention to Saakachvili strategy in ajara and discuss if the resolution of the ajara crisis is really the democratic success it claims to be.