Good Lord, never again let Georgia ask Russia for anything

Perhaps the Georgians would do better if they sang in chorus less while paying more attention to the speeches of their leaders

I have no idea why the Creator bestowed a grapevine and a talent for singing in chorus on the people of Georgia. Complimentarily, He also gave them the presidents Gamsakhudia, Shevardnadze, and Saakashvili. I can not understand why the people of Georgia were spellbound by the first one, then by the second one, and why they are still under the spell of the third one. Perhaps the Georgians would do better if they sang in chorus less while paying more attention to the speeches of their leaders.

Was it really difficult to envisage the developments in Georgia under Zviad Gamsakhardia, a Nazi intellectual? Interethnic strife, war, and collapse of the country. Was it hard to see what the future had in store for Georgia under Edward Shevardnadze who had done lots of wild things when he was the foreign minister of the USSR?

It is quite easy to picture the future of Georgia with Mikhail Saakashvili at the helm. A demagogue can be a good toast-master at best, but he can never be a savior of the motherland. He made countless promises shortly after taking over. Today those promises are being devaluated. No wonder his original sky-high rating has already slumped.

Democracy has yet to come to Georgia. Adjaria did not get autonomy it had been promised. Under the new president, a professional lawyer, thieves pay off to avoid prison terms. In other words, the state became an official racketeer. Despite its overall benevolence toward Georgia, the European Union believes the new Georgian government is putting restrictions on the media and the opposition.

Be it things trifle or big, Mr. Saakashvili is doing whatever he wants just like his predecessors did in the past. The ancient city of Tbilisi is truly beautiful. The city's naturalness highlights its beauty. Shortly before the arrival of U.S. President Bush in Tbilisi, the city was transformed into some kind of a “peacock”, as a Georgian artist put it, in line with the orders issued by Mr. Saakashvili. The local intelligentsia expressed indignation and asked the authorities to explain the garish decorations. The authorities put it short and simple: a new image of the capital should correspond with the new powers that be. U.S. President Bush had a great time in Tbilisi, no doubts about it. He was dancing and enjoying himself. With a happy smile on his face he was listening to that nonsense delivered by his Georgian counterpart.

Below is an excerpt from the speech of the Georgian president, quote:
“For many ages our incredibly beautiful motherland has been a scene of mayhem involving various invaders. They came in from every single empire of the world bringing blood and destruction. These walls still remember Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, Persians, Mongols, Russians. But none of them could destroy our proud people,” unquote.
Well, mentioning Russians next to Ottomans and Persians is really something.

The American president did not study Georgian history in school. Mr. Saakashvili was lying like a trooper. And no one of the Georgians standing at the square seemed to be ashamed for the Georgian president. Everybody clapped hands. Somebody reportedly threw a hand grenade toward the two presidents, but it did not go off. It seems perfectly symbolic since everything is a sham in today's Georgia.

Georgia was the only Christian state in Asia since the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Persia and Turkey repeatedly invaded Georgia for many centuries. Scores of Georgians were slain during those dark years of terror. Making Georgia part of the Russian Empire implied a great deal of responsibility that Russia had to take upon itself. In doing so, Russia committed itself to protecting Georgia's borders. It was en enormous burden Russia had to bear for many centuries. A few Russian Emperors refused to incorporate Georgia into Russia despite the numerous requests from the Georgians. Alexander I vacillated a great deal before agreeing on a plan to include Georgia into the Russian Empire. The State Council actually pressed the Emperor for the approval. The imperial ambitions were not the decisive arguments in the case. Russia had an obligation to help a Christian nation that was on the verge of total physical annihilation.

Russian general Mikhail Skobelev, the main hero of the Balkan wars, once coined a wise expression: “Only the Russians can afford the luxury of fighting out of compassion.” Compassion is undoubtedly a praiseworthy attitude. A lack of compassion for one's own people is a crime. A series of wars broke out in the Caucasus following the inclusion of Georgia into the Russian Empire. Oceans of Russian blood were shed. The Russian-Chechen tragedy stems mostly from those wars. The Russian troops had to cross the land of Chechens in order to provide security to Georgia. One can feel sorry for Chechnya that was run over by the wheels of history. One can feel sorry for Russia that was run over by the same wheels in a different manner. By and large, somebody tied up a knot that Russians and Chechens have been trying to untangle for a long time. 

These days, with its brand-new sponsors at hand, the Georgian government is unceremoniously throwing away our military from Georgia. They even demand that Russia pay damages for the stay of the “colonial forces” on the Georgian soil.

Good Lord, never again let Georgia ask us for anything!

Petr Romanov