ARTICLE: Russia's Maneuvers in Caucasus Highlight Volatility of Region (washingtonpost.com)

By Sarah Marcus
Special to The Washington Post, Sunday, June 28, 2009

TBILISI, Georgia -- Military helicopters circled once again over Georgia's mountainous terrain. Amid the crackle of gunfire, soldiers ran across battlefields carrying comrades on stretchers. But this was no repeat of last summer's brief war with Russia. It was a training exercise -- and this time, NATO sent help.
The month-long exercises, which concluded June 3 and involved more than 1,000 soldiers from 14 countries, took place near Georgia's border with the breakaway territory of South Ossetia and were condemned by the Russian government as a "provocation."

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TBILISI OPEN AIR: What was the meaning of this Festival?

Yesterday I was the second time of the Tbilisi Open Air Festival on the former weekend. Today in the media you could find some articles about this event. At the time you can ask what should the this Open Air Spectacle and the spectacle of Eurovision meaning for the official discussion. Undoubted both were political musicians events. Also Mikhail Saakashvili was to see near the stage yesterday. On the screen I could him see very smiling. This smiling was also for the Television. Twice things are interesting: In my oppinion it should be a media pressure to the opposition which fight with blockaded streets in Tbilisi for the resign Saakashvilis and in secound it is a answer to the political modivation of the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow from which Georgia was banned.

more here:
Eurovision: Ethnic rivalry wins over kitsch in the Caucasus (Caucasian Knot)
Using Rock Concerts to Shape Georgia's Politics (Moscow Times)
Alternative Eurovision in Tbilisi (blogs.telegraph.co.uk)


Some Photos by Ralph Haelbig



Some Photos by Gela Bedianashvili