August war made Georgia epicenter of instability

PanARMENIAN.Net - Georgia's irresponsible moves caused Russia's disproportionate reaction. The fact is that two authoritative regimes launched a war that they have been preparing for years, a Georgian expert said.



"As to the democracy index, according to The Economist, both Georgia and Russia were included in the list of so-called hybrid regimes, rating 104 and 107 respectively along with Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi and Pakistan," Ivlian Khaindrava, director of South Caucasus programs at the Tbilisi-based center of development and cooperation said in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net



"It was quite obvious that a war will break out. The OSCE observers in South Ossetia did warn about possible escalation but nothing was done to prevent it. This story resembles the OSCE behavior during elections in the South Caucasus. At first, the observers announce that the elections were held in line with international standards. However, some 2 or 3 months later they publish a report to say that the elections were beyond any standards," he said.



The diplomatic language of 'mild' European force is being exhausted, according to Khaindrava.



"The August war debunked the myth of 'democracy lighthouse', transforming it into Bush's street in Tbilisi, which has become the epicenter of instability mostly conditioned by unpredictability of the Georgian authorities and Russian military presence August 2008 proved that security in the South Caucasus is not an abstract notion for EU. Market deals are pregnant with bloodshed and losses and can't substitute sober decisions," he said.

Full text of the interview