Armenia and Georgia Since Independence

Abstract

Located at the crossroad between Christianity and Islam, somewhere between Asia and Europe, Armenia and Georgia share similar historical traits. Both frequently suffered from the aspirations of regional powers. Mongols, Persians, Arabs, and Turks invaded the South Caucasus for centuries. In the last 150 years, it was Tsarist and later Soviet Russia that subjugated the Armenian and Georgian peoples. Both nations were able to preserve their strong sense of nationhood mainly due to their distinct languages with their unique alphabets and the strong influence of their respective churches, the oldest Christian communities in the world, dating back to the 4th century. It is therefore not surprising that with the advent of glasnost Armenians and Georgians expressed a strong thirst for independence.KeywordsPrime MinisterPresidential ElectionPolitical AuthorityRepublican PartyOpposition PartiThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.