The Signs and Cycles of State Dissolution in Georgia (1991-2012)

Abstract

Georgia was periodically and repeatedly characterized by the signs and cycles of state dissolution in 1991-2012 throughout the rule of three leading authorities. State dissolution itself was reflected as a lack of central authority’s jurisdiction and influence over different distinct and autonomous republics in Georgia. It is noteworthy that certain facts and circumstances are brought in order to prove the given works objectives, such as the coup d'état against the government of President Zviad Gamsakhurdia that began in late 1991, the armed ethno-political conflicts in the Tskhinvali region and Abkhazia in 1991-1993, the terrorist attacks against President Eduard Shevardnadze during the 1990s and the crises in Pankisi and Kodori gorges, as well as the situation in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara in 1991-2004, and finally, the Samtskhe-Javakheti issue until the mid-2000s and Russo-Georgian “August War” in 2008 along with the special military operation in the Lopota valley, which appears as a kind of political ambiguity. The relevance of the research topic is confirmed by the activity of researchers, which is evident in the scientific works published during the last 10-15 years – Nargiza Gamisonia and Dodo Pertaia (2009), Dazmir Jojua (2010), Revaz Gachechiladze (2013, 2017), Report of the Public Defender's Office of Georgia (2014), Shota Vadachkoria (2014), Ucha Bluashvili (2015), Irakli Peradze (2018), Lia Melikishvili (2019), Vahram Ter-matevosyan and Brent Currie (2019), Dimitri Shvelidze (2021), Zviad Dzidziguri (2024) and Meka Khangoshvili (2024). Therefore, the findings of the working paper to some extents are based on an analysis of the main issues presented in the secondary sources, more specifically, in monographs, research reports, scientific articles and autobiographical books. Accordingly, the paper represents the so-called “desk research’’, but the use of rich library resources emphasizes the originality of the research approach. The main findings of the given work declare that the signs of a sort of state dissolution caused by external or internal reasons, increased or decreased in Georgia with certain periodicities (also called cycles). In particular, in the 1990s and especially in 2001-2003, the Georgian state was actually on the edge of dissolution, as many illegal armed groups, separatist movements, and a number of territorial units were outside the jurisdiction and control of the central government. Between 2004 and 2012, as a result of the central government’s activities, the problem of the stubborn leader of Adjara was resolved, and the situation in Samtskhe-Javakheti was improved. However, President Mikheil Saakashvili’s government was unable to handle with the issues of the integration of the Russian-occupied separatist units into the Georgian statehood, despite accessibility to the so-called “Upper Abkhazia’’. ​​