Georgia on My Mind

Why is it that distant small countries are only mentioned in the mainstream media in the context of disasters, war and famine? This was again the case when the Republic of Georgia came into the spotlight over the last few days. As you may know, my plan is to travel to Georgia in October for about a month to work at the Temi Community Farm, but these plans may be interrupted by an overly aggressive neighbor to the north – Russia.

Georgia and Russia have had a contemptuous relationship since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Georgia has allied itself with the West and Russia has lost most of its influence in the small country. More pertinent to this conflict is the refusal of Georgia to let two breakaway regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, become part of Russia. These regions have been struggling for independence from Georgia since the breakup of the USSR, but have only been granted regional autonomy. The rationale behind Russia’s attack on Georgia was to protect South Ossetia from Georgian aggression, but in reality that is not the full story. Russia was far more interested in displaying its military might and frightening its other neighbors and re-asserting its influence in the region. Luckily the Bush administration and other foreign leaders quickly denounced the military actions on Georgian soil as disproportionate and in violation of military law. As of this afternoon, a cease fire is being worked out that will hopefully end the conflict and establish a peace-keeping force to monitor the situation. A good report on the history and future of the conflict can be found on NPR’s website

My hope is that this conflict will be cooled off by the time I am set to arrive in October. Georgia is generally a safe place and the area in which I hope to travel is on the far eastern end of the country – a stable region many miles from the conflict with Russia. I would be greatly disappointed if I could not travel to Georgia – I have had a long-standing interest in the Caucuses and the Temi Community is a fascinating mix of self sustaining agriculture and social service. I’ll be watching the news closely in coming weeks and I’ll keep the blog posted with any pertinent news.

P.S. Why is do a distant Caucasian country and a US state share the name “Georgia”? Apparently the state of Georgia is named after King George II of England and the Republic of Georgia is named after St. George. (This is the most likely of many theories because Georgia was one of the first nations to adopt Christianity in the 4th century).