ABSTRACT
Georgia is noted for its very dramatic political development. At the end of the '90s, Georgia 'became the frontrunner in the political emancipation in the Soviet Union after the Baltic republics'. During Soviet rule Georgia was a special republic in the Soviet Union, standing out not only due to its lovely subtropical and Mediterranean climate, but also with the irrepressible (at least, by Soviet standards) cultural, political and entrepreneurial energy of its population. The reasons for Russia's choice in favor of coercion are quite rational. The Russian leadership does not intend to tolerate the possibility of Georgia's growing influence in the Caucasus, or its pro-Western orientation that finds support both in the US and in the EU. In 2006, Moscow began to step up economic coercion. By building authority relations with Georgia, the US (and NATO) and the EU shared responsibility over Georgia in a sense, though in different fashion.
