MILITARY REFORMS AND STABILITY IN THE SOUTHERN CAUCASUS
Abstract
Ater the collapse of the Soviet Union, democratization and liberalization processes began in all the post-Soviet countries. These processes were mainly initiated from the outside, but they were also supported by the local power elites.
The Republic of Georgia, which plays one of the most important roles in the region as a political entity, stands out among the South Caucasian countries that are steering a course toward democratization and liberalization. The country has many advantageous prerequisites for this: its transit opportunities, which allow it to create alternative routes that bypass Russia for delivering energy resources and other commodities, as well as its rather contradictory domestic political situation, which could have a certain impact on neighboring countries. Due to its important geopolitical position, Georgia, like other states in the region, can act as a bridge and intermediary between the East and the West. The situation that developed in the region after the Russian-Georgian war of August 2008 also launched certain dualistic processes. They will either help to restore peace and stability, or they could start an arms race and lead to a new and more violent war.
It must be noted that the events going on around Georgia have pushed its domestic issues into background and deprived them of their due attention.
Reform of the Georgian army, establishment of a national security system, and the democratization processes going on in the country are of particular interest.
Downloads
References
See: N. Rusadze, “National Guard’s Day,” Defense Today, No. 6, 2007, p. 1.
See: D. Darchiashvili, “Gruziia: zalozhnitsa oruzhiia,” available at [www.abkhaziya.org/books/kavkaz_lsw/georgia.
tml].
Ibidem.
See: Strategic Defense Review, Ministry Defense of Georgia, Tbilisi, 2007, p. 98.
See: V. Tseluyko, “Reformirovanie gruzinskoi armii pri Saakashvili do Piatidnevnoi voiny 2008 goda,” in: Tanki avgusta, ed. by M.S. Barabanov, Center of Strategy and Technology Analysis, Moscow, 2009, p. 21.
[http://www.parliament.ge/files/292_880_927746_concept_en.pdf].
See: Strategic Defense Review, pp. 66-67.
[http://www.mod.gov.ge/index.php?page=-10&id=2&lang=3].
See: Strategic Defense Review.
[http://www.mod.gov.ge/?1=E&m=3&sm=2].
See: Georgian Statistical Yearbook, Tbilisi, 2008, p. 247.
For example, the total spending on defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and state security in 2003 amounted to 10.9% of budget expenditures, while in 2007 it amounted to 36.6% of all spending.
In keeping with NATO recommendations, the National Guard was formed into an alternative structure to the ground
forces and is responsible for training reservists and ensuring mobilization and territorial defense.
See: Strategic Defense Review, p. 86.
[http://www.mod.gov.ge/?l=E&m=4&sm=1].
See: M. Bromley, P. Haulton, P.D. Wezeman, S.T. Wezeman, “SIPRI Arms Transfer Data, 2008,” SIPRI Fact Sheet,April 2009, p. 4.
See: Data of the U.S. State Department, available at [www.state.gov/t/pm64766/htm].
[http://ru.trend.az/news/politics/foreign/1303672.html].
See: G. Nodia, “Gruziia v 2008 g: ispytanie na prochnost,” in: Collection of articles Kavkaz 2008, Erevan, 2010,pp. 43-44.
See: Ministry of Defense of Georgia, available at [http://www.mod.gov.ge].
[http://www.mod.gov.ge/?1=E&m=3&sm=2].
See: U.S. State Department, available at [http://www.state.gov].
See: “The History of Krtsanisi National Training Center,” available at [www.mod.gov.ge/?1=E&m=5&sm=12&ssm=1].
V. Tseluyko, op. cit., p. 32.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2010 AUTHOR
![Creative Commons License](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.