Georgia's Revolution and the Region: Is It Catching?

The sudden departure of Georgian President Edvard Shevardnadze and his replacement by Mikheil Saakashvili in the January 4 election have produced speculation that a similar process of democratic transformation may take place elsewhere in the former Soviet region. There is concern too over the potential for growing strategic tension between the great powers, given Russia’s worries about loss of influence in the southern Caucasus and accelerating energy sector development there.