"Russia reminds me of a man who has been charmed by a newly-built house of his neighbor," said Georgian political expert and physiologist Ramaz Sakvarelidze, speaking with GT. "And instead of constructing a similar one for himself, he decides to set fire to his neighbor's house. In this case, Russia seems to be planning to set fire to Georgian statehood."
Following Western-oriented Saakashvili's rise to power in 2004, political experts have concluded on many occasions that Georgia's relationship with Russia has reached an all time low. Never before has this been truer than now. Xenophobia, ethnic cleansing, racial discrimination, and chauvinist hysteria – this is an incomplete list of recent Georgian interpretations of what is currently going on in its neighboring Russia, who it once termed “big brother.â€
Russia claims to have around 1,000,000 Georgians residing on its soil as foreign workers and only 197,934 holding Russian citizenship. Many of them, having escaped the hard social atmosphere of the Soviet collapse during the 1990s, were arrested and deported back to Georgia after the arrest of four Russians for espionage charges on September 27 which entailed a political crisis between the two neighbors. By now, according to a statement on October 20, by the U.S. mission to the OSCE about 400 Georgians have been expelled from Russia and another 300 face deportation. A 48 year old Georgian citizen, Tengiz Togonidze died of an asthma attack on October 17 in the Domodedovo airport in Moscow before being deported along with 149 other Georgians.
A Russian survey shows the majority of Russians approve of Moscow’s sanctions towards Georgia. 40% of respondents in Russia said measures undertaken by the Russian authorities against Georgia and its citizens are "adequate and effective," while 27% of respondents considered the current measures as "not adequate" and only 13% think that measures are exaggerated. The Russian state-run All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) conducted this survey on October 14-15 among 1 600 respondents in 46 different districts throughout Russia (source: civil.ge news bulletin, October 20, 2006).
However, Georgians' long-time friendship with their Russian "brothers" has not been forgotten for good. On October 6, the Moscow-based Echo of Moscow radio station called for a protest against the policy towards ethnic Georgian immigrants, asking listeners to pin a badge with the words "I am Georgian" to their lapels. The appeal to the Russian nationals said: "They (Georgians) live with us and they should not be blamed if officials, politicians and the presidents of the two countries hate each other. If you do not want large-scale ethnic cleansing to be launched in Russia … pin this badge (on) before coming out in the street."
There have been some Russians with more pragmatic motivation to protest the anti-Georgian sanctions. Mikhail Kasyanov, leader of the Russia's Peoples Democratic Union and former Prime Minister described informal sanctions against the Georgian people as "unworthy of the status of a Great Power.â€
“We have to admit that Russia's first presidency in the G-8 would be marked not only by gas scandals, but also by chauvinist hysteria," he said on October 6.
Today many fail to find the right answer as to what drives a giant country of 143 million people to regard its southern neighbor with 4.5 million population and a newly-established place on the world map as the greatest danger to the national security after the United States. It is ironic also that when an opinion poll earlier this year asked Russians what the population of Georgia was, the majority of respondents guessed 30 million (source:
www.opendemocracy.net). Considering its demographic concerns, Georgia would be more than happy if this were true but sadly, the only truth here might be that Russia is falling victim to its own propaganda.
As Georgian and foreign analysts focus mainly on the political roots of the confrontation, GT decided to seek psychological portrait of the row. Ramaz Sakvarelidze told GT: "It is significant that some Russians staged a protest action titled "I am Georgian." There are many Russians who love and respect Georgians. The aggression from those who are in charge of the anti-Georgian campaign in Russia can be seen as indicating that Russia sees Georgia as their No. 1 enemy. But the fact that Georgia can be considered such a rival for Russia should be taken as a compliment."
Sakvarelidze believes that there is a cultural aspect to these sanctions, which helps explain the Russian-Georgian standoff. “The Russian paradox is that it dislikes those which are superior to it. Russia reminds me of a man who has been charmed by a newly-built house of his neighbor and instead of constructing a similar one himself, he decides to set fire to his neighbor's house. In this case, Russia seems to be planning to set fire to Georgian statehood, which, it thinks is better. Ours is more humane with better culture of human interaction, cheerful mood, the way to treat friends and beloved ones which, I have to say, the Russians have always been enchanted with. Russia has been both impressed and spiteful by all these traits as Russians had realised their incapability to be similar (to Georgians)."
The Georgian expert compared the Russian-Georgian situation with the one taking place in the 1930s, when Germany started to transform into a Fascist nation, as Germans began to feel inferior to the Israelis. “The physiology of Fascism suggests Fascism is grounded on a subconscious recognition of one's superiority to the other. Fascism is starting to take hold in Russia," he concluded.
As to a political evaluation of the confrontation, Sakvarelidze says current developments are part of a wave which Russia has unleashed, not only against Georgia but also against the U.S and Europe: "Russia is infuriated at the reality that it is no longer a world power. We are just a part of the aggression designed for the U.S. Russia is nostalgic for their status as a world power. This policy will likely lead Russia to Fascism which on its part will lead it to share the fate of Fascist Germany – Russia will fall apart."
