Crisis in the Caucasus Part I: Georgia, Russia, and Political Turmoil

Sunset over Tbilisi, Georgia. Photo: Jaanus Jagomägi

At the tail end of last summer, I was sitting on the balcony of my hotel in downtown Tbilisi, Georgia, drinking beer and listening to the panel talk happening in the courtyard below, amplified by a sharp PA system.

“We appreciate the Ukrainians doing our fighting,” the man with a British accent said ove…